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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:
- "i will give you 35% " (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)
- "is 100% risk-free" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Russell" <dophrussel7@gmail.com>
Reply-To: russeldoph@gmail.com
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2024 23:37:53 -0700
Subject: From: Russell!
Dear Sir,
My name is Dolph Russell. I work with a Russian general who has just
been killed. For now I prefer to keep his name silent until we meet in
person..
The General has kept a huge amount of millions of Dollars in Europe, of
which I Am the only one that knows the location and how to move the
funds..
The main reason for contacting you is for you to help me if you have a
big company account where the money can be sent...
You will need to come to Europe for both of us to perfect the
process... for your assistance I will give you 35% of the money and
65% for me... I don't mind investing my own share in your company
after we sign an agreement....
Note this process is 100% risk-free...I have all the documents to show that the funds
are not from drugs or theft.
Feel free to contact me for further discussion for more clarity for
your complete comfort.
Thanks, while I look forward to discussing with you.
Regards,
Russell
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Anti-fraud resources:
