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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 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: "U.S Treasury" <dinggyou88@email.plala.or.jp>
Reply-To: mrwallayedemo@tutanota.com
Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2024 18:29:29 +0900
Subject: Re:Attention Email ID Owner.
We have been commissioned by the (FBI) And European Investment Bank of London and the (IMF) to investigate the reason for the unnecessary delay in legally approved funds. During our investigation, we discovered that your payment was delayed by Some corrupt government employees trying to divert your funds to their personal accounts.To prevent this dubious act, we have an agreement with the Federal Bureau of Investigation {FBI} And European Investment Bank in London and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that we can manage and monitor this payment. Avoid desperate situations with banks and other criminal authorities. We have approved an irrevocable payment guarantee for Compensation. We hereby inform you that the USA government has decided to reimburse you the amount of $15.5 Million dollars as a scam victim Compensation Fund, You are therefore advised to reconfirm your details to enable the financial department to release your payment to you without any delay.
Thus, reconfirm the following:
1. Your Full Name:
2. Your residential address:
3. Your direct phone number:
We are sorry for any inconvenience Note: if you found this email in your junk/spam, it's because of your internet ip server. We look forward to your prompt response.
Sincerely
Mr Wally Adeyemo
Deputy Secretary of U.S Treasury,
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Anti-fraud resources:
