419 scam: "Mrs. Jovita Carranza." <hitchens@edzone.net> Attention: Fund Beneficiary,

joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet

Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days

Home

About Us

Spam

419/Nigeria

Fraud

Contact

"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:
- "account opening fee" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "account opening" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "inheritance funds" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "00,000.00" (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)
- "fund beneficiary" (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.
- wellsfargobank.usa@workmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mrs. Jovita Carranza." <hitchens@edzone.net>
Reply-To: wellsfargobank.usa@workmail.com
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2019 02:18:46 -0800
Subject: Attention: Fund Beneficiary,

--
Attention: Fund Beneficiary,

I am Mrs. Jovita Carranza, The United State Treasury, am emailing you
regarding your abandoned fund worth of $(10.8 Million)USD with Wells
Fargo Bank,The United State Government has ordered that every Money owed
to any individual should be released to them both fund from Lottery
Awards and Inheritance Funds, be it Compensation funds or Money Owe to
individual from Empowerment Program run by United State Government or
from IMF, IRS and United Nation all are being settled and that is why we
have been mandated to monitor the transfer and make sure everything is
done as instructed by United State Government. After our investigations
we have discovered that your unpaid fund worth $10.800, 000.00 USD owed
to you has been deposited in the WELLS FARGO BANK USA and has not been
released, but United State Government has ordered the WELLS FARGO BANK
to release your fund with immediate affect. The WELLS FARGO BANK has
been ordered to open an online account in your name and make a deposit
of your fund $10,800,000.00 USD before the end of next week, the online
account will be opened in your name and the account login will be made
available to you to enable you confirm your fund and start transferring
your fund to your private Bank account anyway in the world.

Therefore you will be required to pay the sum of $330 USD to the Bank
for (Fund Legality Certificate and Transfer Permit Certificate) the
certificate will enable the Bank to open an online account and transfer
your fund $10,800,000.00 USD into your account and every information
both the login and user name to the account will be release to you
before three (3) hours of sending the account opening fee to enable you
begin the transfer of your fund to your private account anywhere in the
world. You are not required to pay any other fee after you have pay them
the $330 for the account opening fee to enable them obtain (Fund
Legality Certificate and Bulk Money Transfer Permit Certificate) the
certificate will enable them open an online account to enable them
transfer your fund into your account and make sure you contact the bank
immediately with your information.

Below is the Bank contact detail writes them to their email:

Bank Name: Wells Fargo Bank USA.
Office Line (281) 624-2955
Email: wellsfargobank.usa@workmail.com
Contact Person: Dr.Jim Harry.

Kindly write the Bank now to transfer your fund $10,800,000.00 into your
online account which they have been instructed to open and deposit your
fund and them release the account information to you to enable you start
transferring your funds immediately to your private Bank account.

Regards

Mrs. Jovita Carranza.
United State Treasury

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam