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joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
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"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:
- "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mr. John Koskinen" <"www."@vega.ocn.ne.jp>
Reply-To: "Mr. John Koskinen" <mrjohnkoskinen1@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2017 07:56:41 +0900 (JST)
Subject: Greetings from the Internal Revenue Service the United States
Internal Revenue Service the United States
Headquarters: 1111 Constitution Avenue Northwest,
Washington, D.C., United States
Dear Sir/Madam”.
I am writing this letter in reference to your total funds which are $5.5 million that was directed by (IMF) International monitoring funds Unit to be deliver to you through ATM VISA Card. The ATM Visa Card will be dispatch to your address Via UPS (United Parcel Service) or any Careers of your choice.
Your ATM Visa Card has been deposit to my office for immediate delivery once the blow information is reconfirmed, so kindly update us with:
1. Your Name which you prefer we use when shipping your ATM Card
2. Your Current mailing (Delivery) Address where your ATM Card should be mailed
3. Your Private Mobile Number for the Priority Express Mail to Contact you when they arrive at your doorstep.
I look forward to hearing from you. I appreciate your consideration
Best regards”
Mr. John Koskinen
IRS Commissioner,
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Anti-fraud resources:
