|
|
joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
|
|
"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 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: 'BETHAN LEE'<BLee@un.org>
Reply-To: bethanielee8@gmail.com
Date: 26 Dec 2024 23:03:40 -0800
Subject: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|
Anti-fraud resources:
