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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)
- This email message is a "dying widow" scam.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mrs. Bridget Clough" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <bridgetcloug@yandex.com>
Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2019 17:31:30 +0200
Subject: RE: MY DEAREST BELOVED 241
Dear friend,
I am Mrs. Bridget Clough, 65 years old, deaf and a widow. I was
married to late Wrenfordsley Clough,who worked with Shell
Development Company in London for Twenty-Six years before he died
in the year 2005 after a brief illness that lasted only five
days. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of
US$50 M in a firm here. Following my ill health (Cancer of the
Lungs), my Doctor told me that I may not live longer than
required due to my health condition. I am looking forward to
seeing someone who can use this money in charitable works. More
details will be made known to you upon your response.
May God Bless You.
Mrs. Bridget Clough
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Anti-fraud resources:
