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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:
- "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "may come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "remain blessed" (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
- 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.
- mohohlo.linah@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Mrs. Linah Mohohlo" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mohohlo.linah@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2018 21:39:43 -0800
Subject: Good Day Dear Please Very Urgent Attention
From Mrs. Linah Mohohlo
The Former Governor of
the Bank of Botswana.
mohohlo.linah@yahoo.com
Good Day
Firstly I would like to introduce myself; my name is Mrs. Linah Mohohlo from Botswana. I am the governor of the Bank of Botswana Please I know this may come to you as a surprise, because you did not know me. I sincerely need your assistance discretely because of my high business associations, which is the reason why I write to you on a personal level and through divine direction. It is my desire to have a genuinely personal relationship with you. I deposited the sum of USD$35.5M (Thirty Five Million Five Hundred Thousand U.S.Dollars ) with Finance/bank presently.These funds emanated as a result of an over-invoiced contract which I executed with the Bank of Botswana. Though I am the person who approved this contract but I honestly never knew at the time that it had been over invoiced. I am now afraid that the government of Botswana might start to investigate on contracts I awarded; presently this money is still with standard bank in South Africa.
I would like you to understand that me contacting you is a divine direction from God; As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact information of the Finance/bank .Any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing for a church or Christian individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated here and Please I will like you to contact me immediately you receive this mail so that I will instruct the Finance/bank to transfer this fund into your account.and 35% for you Remain blessed mohohlo.linah@yahoo.com
Mrs. Linah Mohohlo
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Anti-fraud resources:
