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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.
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: shaoyang@primus.ca
Reply-To: chriscameron12@yandex.com
Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2021 15:31:50 +0100
Subject: Hello Dear..............
Hello Dear
Hope this email finds you well. I am contacting you because I have
need for your urgent cooperation. I am representing a family that has
given me the mandate to help find a reasonable and profitable
investment structure. They have just inherited huge fund from their
predecessor, and they have agreed to invest this money in the next 5
years for a good Return On Investment(ROI).
I have been given authority to appoint a reliable international
investor to invest this fund so I need to be sure that I can trust
whoever I am presenting to the family. I am working hand in hand with
a financial expert/compliance officer who will guide us through a
certified and legal process.
The amount in question is $20 million USD,I want to present you as a
foreign investor and authorize for the money to be moved to you in
your country. You will be given full authority to handle the
investment, I need someone I can trust and I need to be assured on my
following concerns;
Can I trust you with the fund?
Can you keep a secret?
Can you help me find a good investment for the fund?
What areas of investment will you recommend?
What % share will you want to take for assisting me?
This is a very legal transaction and everything will be coordinated in
black and white. The essence of secrecy cannot be underestimated
because a lot of money is involved. Let me know if we can work
together.
I await your early news.
Warm Regards,
Christopher Cameron
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Anti-fraud resources:
