|
|
joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
|
|
"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:
- "western union" (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. )
- "money gram" (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. )
- "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
- This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
Fraud email example:
From: First Bank Plc <banktransferdept04@gmail.com>
Reply-To: banktransferdeptoffice@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2019 11:57:31 +0100
Subject: Attention The Beneficiary
--
FIRST BANK NIGERIA PLC
PLOT 33 ABUBAKAR BELEWA,LAGOS,NIGERIA
TELEPHONE:+2348020713420
ATTENTION:
THIS IS TO REMIND YOU THAT WE ARE HAVING OUR END OF THE SECOND
QUARTER TRANSFER AUDIT,AND IN EFFORT TO MAKE SURE ALL BENEFICIARIES
RECEIVE THEIR FUND BEFORE THE AUDIT.WE HAVE AGREED TO ASSIST YOU AFTER
THE INSTRUCTIONS WE RECEIVED FROM THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANK IN NEW YORK
REGARDING YOUR APPROVED FUND.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF FIRST BANK IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE U.S
GOVERNMENT HAVE REACHED AN AGREEMENT THAT YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO PAY
$100 ONLY TO ENABLE YOU TO RECEIVE YOUR FUND THROUGH ATM CARD OR
TRANSFER IN THE NEXT 4 BANKING WORKING DAYS.
THIS AGREEMENT CAME AS A RESULT OF THE COMPULSORY ULTIMATUM GIVEN TO
US BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO MAKE SURE NO BODY IS OWED BEFORE
THE AUDIT THAT IS WHY YOU ARE ADVISED TO PAY THIS $100 FEE.THIS IS THE
ONLY WAY WE CAN HELP YOU TO RELEASE YOUR FUND TO YOU ACCORDING TO THE
ORDER FROM THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANK IN NEW YORK.
YOU CAN USE WESTERN UNION,MONEY GRAM TO SEND THE MONEY.
FINALLY,YOUR URGENT REPLY IS NEEDED SO WE CAN DIRECT YOU HOW TO SEND
THE FEE FOR THE IMMEDIATE PROCESSING OF YOUR PAYMENT WITHOUT ANY
DELAY.
BEST REGARD.
DR.ADESOLA OKORO.
|
Anti-fraud resources:
