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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 next of kin 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.
- soniafofo@aol.com (AOL; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
Fraud email example:
From: help me <edwarddangote68@gmail.com>
Reply-To: soniafofo@aol.com
Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2022 02:07:45 -0700
Subject: My Dear Friend,
Dear Sir
Sir, greetings to you and your family, I hope you all are in good
health ? It is my pleasure to read your response and I thank you very
much for your reply. May God bless you..
am Miss Sonia Peter Fofo, the only daughter of PETER FOFO who died
in a motor accident some months ago. He was a contractor to the
federal government of Cote d’Ivoire. Before he gave up in the hospital
he told my mother and I that he deposited a sum of US $ 3.5 million
with a bank in Lome-Togo and where the documents are.
Since after my father's death my uncles are troubling my mother with
their useless African traditions. They have taken all of my father's
belongings/properties and left us with nothing just because my late
father did not have a male child. As a result of this problem my
mother feels an illness. Now she is seriously sick and I have spent
all the money we have on drugs and hospital bills.
We have nothing to do than to run down to Lome-Togo to claim the
(money) from the bank. We have contacted the bank management and they
said before the fund can be released we must bring my late father
foreign business partner to stand as my father next of kin for
security reasons.
Now we are looking for someone who will assist us and claim the
(money) so that when it arrives in his home/ country he will take his
own share and send it to us our own. I am writing this mail to see if
you can assist us.
Upon receipt of your acknowledgment mail I shall send you the contact
of the bank director. Please contact me back on my private email :
soniafofo@aol.com
Thanks
Miss Sonia Peter Fofo
Hope to hear from you soon.
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