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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:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- 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:
- "hundred thousand united states dollars" (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)
- "% will be for you" (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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- mrsbarbarawinfred@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Mrs. Barbara Winfred" <mrsmary.spencer52@gmail.com>
Reply-To: mrsbarbarawinfred@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2018 01:11:05 -0800
Subject: PLEASE READ AND RESPONSE TO ME
Dear Respected,
Greetings, I am Barbara Winfred from Finland, I am mailing you this letter
because of my situation and my late husband benefit for his services to the
U.S based Oil Refinery valued (One Million Six Hundred Thousand United
States Dollars). I am suffering prostate cancer illness, and in my last
diagnoses showed that my cancer needed blood transfusion and surgery. Haven
suffered a lot in this illness I decided to seek your partnership to invest
the fund there should in case I died in the process of my surgery you will
use part of the investment proceeds to build an orphanage home for the less
privilege in your province and name it after me and my husband to keep our
memorial in your there. Meanwhile if I survive the surgery you will return
15% percent of the total fund to me for my upkeep and you continue
investing the remaining 85% there which we shall share the annual interest
into four parts. Part (1). 35% will be for you (2). 30% will be for me (3).
25% for servicing of the investment while the remaining 10% will go to the
orphanage and the poor in your province. If you accept the ratio in good
faith kindly reply me on this email ( mrsbarbarawinfred@gmail.com ) for
more information’s and guidance.
Yours Truly,
Mrs. Barbara Winfred.
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