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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:
- "the consignment" (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)
- "consignment " (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)
- "dear beneficiary," (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
- "ecowas " (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "White House Chief Of Staff" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <whjfk@outlook.com>
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2020 10:19:58 +0100
Subject: I would really appreciate a quick response.
Dear beneficiary,
I'm Mark Meadows. White House Chief Of Staff. We recently received a report from ECOWAS that you have an unclaimed fund worth US$7.5 Million. This information was made known to us after President Trump ordered the government of Africa to settle all debts owed to foreigners. After due verification and evaluation of your files, it was discovered that that the US$7.5 Million stands as Scam victim compensation remedy that was designed to be paid to you.
We have instructed the concerned authorities to bring the consignment box containing the total sum to our Head office in Washington DC. The fund might get to our office today. I want you to kindly Reconfirm Your Full Name, Current Home Address, Nearest Airport and your Direct Cell Phone # So that arrangement can be made for the delivery of the consignment to your home address. I can be reached at +1 (202) 618-7480. Leave me a text or Voice Message if i am unavailable to answer.
I Look Forward to Hearing From You.
Mark Meadows
White House Chief Of Staff
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Anti-fraud resources:
