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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 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: "Duheong Kim" <>
Reply-To: dk11987654321@gmail.com
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2021 11:26:47 -0500
Subject: RE: HELLO
Dear Prospective Partner,
My name is Duheong Kim and I am contacting you on behalf of my boss Mr. Lee Myung-bak the former president of South Korea. Mr. Lee Myung-bak has presented a subtle offer which will need the help of a partner like you to complete successfully. Mr. Lee Myung-bak is in a difficult situation and he wishes to relocate certain sums of money for investment purposes. The funds are currently deposited overseas. Your role will be to:
1. Act as the beneficiary of the funds.
2. Invest/Manage the funds outside of Korea.
3. Value of funds: $40 Million US Dollars.
Everything will be done legally to ensure the rights to the funds are transferred to you. If you agree to partner with Mr. Lee Myung-bak, he will compensate you with a 20% sum of the funds. Should you prefer I re-contact you, kindly email me for further details, terms and agreement.
Sincerely,
Duheong Kim
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Anti-fraud resources:
