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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:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- 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:
- "to your nominated bank account" (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 "New Partner from Paraguay" scam.
- This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- prudentorg1@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: Mark Stevenson <sw416912@gmail.com>
Reply-To: prudentorg1@hotmail.com
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2021 23:55:08 +0100
Subject: Thanks and God bless you.
Dear Good Friend.
I am happy to inform you about my success in getting those funds
transferred under the cooperation of a new partner from Indonesia.
Presently I am in Indonesia for investment projects with my own share of
the total sum. Meanwhile, I didn’t forget your past efforts and attempts to
assist me in transferring those funds despite that it failed us somehow.
Now contact my secretary, his name is Timothy Gribben.
Mr. Timothy Gribben
Email: prudentorg1@hotmail.com
Contact him and ask him to send you the total of $920.000.00.{Nine Hundred
And Twenty Thousand United States Dollars} which is your compensation for
your past efforts and attempts to assist me in this matter.I appreciated
your efforts at that time very much. So feel free and get in touch with my
Secretary Timothy Gribben and instruct him where to send the amount to you.
Please do let me know immediately you receive it so that we can share the
joy after all the suffering we went through at that time.
Do send to Timothy Gribben, your contact details.
Your Full Names…...........................................
Your Address…..............................................
Cell Phone Number….........................................
Your occupation............................................
Your Age…..................................................
To enable him submit your details to the paying bank for the immediate
transfer of your compensation to your nominated bank account.
As you can see, I am very busy at the moment with the new partner, try to
keep me posted on this matter.
Thanks and God bless you.
Mark Stevenson
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Anti-fraud resources:
