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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "dormant account" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Gerald Fritz <facturacion@oceans.es>
Reply-To: <fgerald355@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 27 Jul 2019 16:39:40 +0100
Subject: Dear Friend
Dear Friend,
It interests me to contact you after my investigations on your capability and Sincerity.
I am Auditor General in a Bank here in Republic of Benin On my routine inspection I discovered a dormant account with the deposit of (4.6 Million Dollar} by late Mr Flipe Stefan without any heir.
I seek your assistance in transfering this fund to your country account through legal.If you are interested, please let me have your FULL NAMES,TELPHONE NUMBER and ADDRESS as to enable me give you a comprehensive details and procedure on how you will receive the fund for our own benefits.
I guarantee that this will run under a legitimate agreement that will protect both of us as it is a 100% risk free for both parties. I look forward for your quick response.
Regards,
Gerald Fritz
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Anti-fraud resources:
