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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:
- "million 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)
- "dear beneficiary," (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mr joe paul " <info@usa.org>
Reply-To: bankbgfi972@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 04 Aug 2021 12:50:47 -0700
Subject: Office Whatsapp number: +2348162903362
Dear Beneficiary, Having reviewed all 30.5 Million Dollars and your inabili=
ty to meet up with some charges levied against you due to the past transfer=
options. We the Board of Directors, United Bank For Africa (UBA) has order=
ed our Foreign Payment Remittance Unit to issue you a CORPORATE VISA CARD w=
here your payment will be uploaded and today we got notice that your Paymen=
t has been uploaded into this CORPORATE ATM CARD and also have registered i=
t with DHL for delivery to you. For your information, The delivery charges =
has been paid and they were supposed to have shipped your packaged ATM CARD=
but they insisted that you must re-confirm to them your current delivery a=
ddress to ensure accurate Delivery. MOST IMPORTANT: Due to the content of t=
he package, DHL mandated that before your package will be shipped, A Tax/St=
amp Duty MUST be procured according to the New Customs Creed, and the essen=
ce of such Document is to ensure a hitch-free delivery. Therefore re-confir=
m your current delivery address: 1. Full Names. 2. Delivery Address. 3. Tel=
ephone Number. 4. Your country. 5. Your city. 6. Your Occupation. 7. Your A=
ge. 8. Your ID card or passport copy. Below is the contact details of the D=
HL delivery Company: Agent number: +1843 962 6306 Office Whatsapp number: +=
2348162903362
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Anti-fraud resources:
