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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:
- "inheritance funds" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "to your nominated bank account" (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)
- "million 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)
- "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- This email message is a next of kin scam.
- Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
Fraud email example:
From: "Daniel Singer" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <dansingerlaw@onet.pl>
Date: Sat, 19 May 2018 13:28:18 -0000
Subject: Please Revert
Good Day ,
I am contacting you to seek your cooperation/agreement to present you as the beneficiary to an inheritance funds to the tune of USD$12.5 Million United States Dollars belonging to my late client who passed away in the year 2011 since there is no written WILL and no siblings to inherit this funds as he was an only child.
However, I don't belong to that school of thought who proposes that the fortunes of unlucky people be given to the government and I am fully convinced that no one would turn up to execute the letter of Administration to claim his funds, hence I decided to contact you to come in as the next of kin/beneficiary to my late client since you have the same Last Name so that the funds can then be transferred to your nominated bank account within 10 working days after we have filed in your claims transfer application and it will be a 50/50 partnership deal between us .
All relevant papers will be legally processed so that everything we will be doing would be by the book and above board to meet all legal requirements in both your country and mine.
Do get back to me for more details.
Kind Regards,
Barrister Daniel A.Singer
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Anti-fraud resources:
