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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.
- This email message is a next of kin scam.
Fraud email example:
From: "Steve Ampey" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <steveampey@outlook.com>
Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2018 02:57:53 -0500
Subject: Please read this
We are unfamiliar with each other but it takes a moment for people to know. I will like to propose a legitimate business to you and please take this seriously. I am proposing a deal that will make us richer and you are very important to this deal as you will find out.
I am a first-level manager with BNY Mellon Wealth Management (https://www.bnymellonwealth.com). I have worked here for a little over 13 years now and I was the personal manager to a client whom I cannot disclose his name on this first correspondence. He was a foreign contractor with Royal Dutch plc who has an investment account with my bank before his demise.
Unfortunately, my client died along with his immediate family in Norway while on a vacation in the summer of 2007, may their soul rest in peace. He died without leaving a will. Several efforts were made to find his extended family through their embassy without success. I received a notice last week to provide the next of kin to my late client being his manager as the account risks been transferred to the state reserves very soon which means total forfeiture of the account proceeds. I am contacting you to assist me in claiming and repatriating the funds left behind by my late client since you both share the same last name.
This claim will be executed without breaching any US laws and success is guaranteed if there is co-operation between us. The bank will release the account to you because of your last name and my recommendation of you as the next of kin.
I am a very honest person; I expect the same from you. We will get to know each other properly at the right time and I am ready to share my personal details with you if need be. The amount involved is $47,206,183.00 USD.
We will negotiate on the sharing formula of the account proceeds on a later correspondence. I will give you all the necessary information about this deal when I get your response. I anticipate your cooperation. Treat this proposal with utmost confidentially and urgency for a 100% success. If you are not interested please delete this mail.
Kind Regards
Steve Ampey
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