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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "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)
- ",000,000" (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)
- "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Mr Maqsood Ahmed <mrmaqsoodahmed60@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2022 08:22:56 -0800
Subject: REPLY URGENTLY.
Dear Friend,
Good Day. I am Mr. Maqsood Ahmed a banker and in one way or the other
was hoping you will cooperate with me as a partner in a project of
transferring an abandoned fund of a lat customer of the bank worth of
$18,000,000 (Eighteen Million Dollars US).This will be disbursed or
shared between the both of us in these percentages, 55% for me and 45%
for you. Contact me immediately if that is alright for you so that we
can enter in agreement before we start processing for the transfer of
the funds. If you are satisfied with this proposal, please provide the
below details for the Mutual Confidentiality Agreement:
1. Full Name and Address
2. Occupation and Country of Origin
3. Telephone Number
4. A scan copy of your identification
Regards
Mr. Maqsood Ahmed.
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Anti-fraud resources:
