joewein.de LLC fighting spam and scams on the Internet

Try our spam filter! Free trial for 30 days

"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
• Support our efforts to stop scams!
  
• How to report 419 spam to us
• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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.

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 about the following email:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • law_jamesobi03@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Barrister James Obi" <jb_esq001@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2006 17:26:02 +0000
Subject: PLEASE TREAT VERY URGENT

Attn Plz,

Good day and how are you? My wish is that you receive this letter in
good faith and by his grace we are going to work good things out of
this great deal.

My name is Barrister James Obi.A Solicitor and an Advocate of the
supreme court of Nigeria, I am the Personal Attorney to Mr. Alan ,an expatriate,who was a consultant with Shell Development
Oil Company in Nigeria.

On the 21st of April 2001, my client and his wife were involved in a
car accident along Sagamu/Lagos Express Road. Unfortunately they lost
their lives in the event of the accident, since then I have made
several enquiries as to locate any of his extended relatives, but all
proved abortive. After several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to
trace his relatives over the Internet,to locate any member of his
family but to no avail,hence I decided to contact you.

I am contacting you to assist in retrieving the money valued at about
(US$11.5m) that was left behind by my client Mr.Alan , with
the Universal Trust Bank Plc (UTB) before it gets confiscated or
declared  nserviceable by the bank. Consequently, The bank issued me a
notice to provide the next of kin or have the account confiscated
within the next ten official working days.

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over
2years now, I hereby seek your consent to act as the next of kin to
thedeceased,the proceeds of this account valued at (US$11.5 million
dollars)can be paid to you and then you and I can share the money.55%
to me and 40% to you,while 5% should be for expenses or tax as your
government may require. I have all the necessary legal documents that
can be used to back up this project.

All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us succeed without
any hitch. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement that will protect us from any breach of the law.

PLEASE DO GET INTOUCH WITH ME THROUGH THIS E-mail address

below: law_jamesobi03@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks as I look forward to your anticipated maximum cooperation.

Yours Sincerely
Barrister James Obi.(ESQ)

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam