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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "a security company " (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. )
- "million us dollars" (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.
Fraud email example:
From: aisha gaddafi <aishagaddafi1985@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 17 Jan 2021 16:14:17 -0800
Subject: Dr Aisha Muammar Gaddafi
As you know I'm Aisha Gaddafi the daughter of the former president of Libya
late president Muammar Gaddafi who was killed in the civil war which took
place in the year 2011 which ended up his life on the 20th October
2011.Before the death of my father the Late President of Libya he made a
deposit of 10 million US dollars with a security company there in Ghana .
That no one knows about except we the children and now my brother is in
prison for trial for war crime so i am the only one left out and i got an
mail from the security company , that i have to come for the funds but now
i can't because After the death of my father the UN and Libya Government
has been tracking all my father's wealth and money everywhere around the
globe my dear but, this was the last deposit my father made before he
died,so i am looking for a trust worthy person to stand as my foreign
beneficiary to help me claim the funds and i am ready to reward whoever he
or she may be and i will also let the security company know that i am
appointing the person as my beneficiary, and help me receive my funds from
the security company so i can come out of my present ordeal and to go
somewhere to start a new good life somewhere my friend....Please i will
love to read from you and let me know if you will be able to help me with
this and i promise that this transaction will be smooth and free there is
no need to be afraid and please this must be a secret between both of us
hope to hear from you soonest.
Best Regards.
Dr Aisha Muammar Gaddafi
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Anti-fraud resources:
