419 Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam (YYYY-MM)

joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet

Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days

Home

About Us

Spam

419/Nigeria

Fraud

Contact

"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "security keeping fee" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "money gram" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "consignment " (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: DHLCourier <"wwwwww.ww.w."@blue.ocn.ne.jp>
Reply-To: DHLCourier <companybenindhlcourier344@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2017 03:58:32 +0900 (JST)
Subject: you are (Dead) Or (Alive)? Because Mr. Jude Betsy came to our
office

Dear Customer!!!,

DHL Courier Company Benin branch wish to inform you that your package value sum of $2.5 million usd is now ready to deliver to you as authorized by the depositor of your package Mrs. Alice Walton U.N Secretary to this Company and we can assure you that we are experts and will commence the delivery of your package to your doorstep as soon as you comply with our mode of delivery system, Your package is properly sealed registered and will be deliver to you within 24hours as the depositor registered the package along with some vital documents required by DHL Courier Company under delivery rules and regulation to effect the delivery to your destination without any further delay,

I am writing to confirm the fact if you are (Dead) Or (Alive)? Because Mr. Jude Betsy came to our office stated that you are dead and failure to reply back in the next 24hrs simply means what Mr. Jude Betsy said was right that you are dead. And Mr. Jude Betsy has agreed to pay the needed valued of $75.00 dollars required for the Security keeping fee of your consignment box, but we have not gotten the money from him yet as we want to find out if you are dead or not, so if you are still (alive) you are advice in your own best interest to reply back,

We receive our Insurance & Delivery fee from the depositor Mrs. Alice Walton. The only fee you have to pay is our Security keeping fee only, from you and you should know that, This measures of charging Security keeping fee is to always protect the package of our customers and to ensure the safety delivery to his or her destination.

According to our Security keeping fee, The delivery of your package to your destination will cost you sum of $75.00 usd only, and the fee should send to our account officer via Westrn Union or Money Gram

And do not forget to send us the your full details such as

Full name :
Sex :
Age :
Home address :
Country :
Phone number :
Occupation :
One governmental ID CARD :
The
account details where the money are to be transfer :
Your urgent reply is needed with the above
information .

DHL-Director
(Sir. ALEXANDER PAUL)

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam