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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:
- "required fee " (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. )
- "the required fees" (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. )
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: " Mr.Mark Edward" <chardshowers984@gmail.com>
Reply-To: em6552907@gmail.com
Date: Sat, 21 May 2022 23:54:00 -0700
Subject: ARE YOU THE ONE THAT AUTHORIZED HER?
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How are you doing today ? This is Mr Mark ED .. Please there is a lady
called Mrs Tina Polinice, she was in our office Yesterday morning
trying to pay the required fees of $100 in order to claim your funds
valued $7,5000,000. According to her statement she stated that you had
an accident 48 hours ago and lost your life so we are contacting you
know if she is saying the truth or not ok
meanwhile you are required to provide your full information such as:
1:full Names
2:your current phone number
3:Your address
Note: do not bother to contact us back if you are not ready to pay the
required fee and have your funds released.
Sincerly,
Mr Mark Edward
Text or call +1 760 364 6015
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Anti-fraud resources:
