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 by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "microsoft lottery" (no such lottery exists)
  • "20 craven park, harlesden" (address often used in fake lottery scams)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "million united states 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)
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
• This email message is a fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
  
  1. They don't notify winners by email.
  2. You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
  3. They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
  4. They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
  5. They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
  6. They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
  7. They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!

Fraud email example:

From: MICROSOFT PROMO <promodrawclaims@apowerball.com>
Reply-To: promoclaims@apowerball.com
Date: 2 Sep 2007 04:21:15 +0200
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED ONE OF THE WINNER OF MICROSOFT PROMO

Content-Type: text/plain

Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit




20 Craven Park, Harlesden

London NW10

United Kingdom

Ref: MPBL9974

Batch: 82MP



Hello,



WINNING NOTIFICATION!!!



The prestigious Microsoft has successfully organised a Sweepstakes marking the first quarter of the year and we are rolling out over $15,000,000.00(Fifteen Million United States Dollars) for twenty winners.



Participants for this draws were randomly selected and drawn from a wide range of web hosts which we enjoy their patronage.



Your email address as indicated drew the lucky numbers14-21-25-39-40-47(20) which subsequently won you USD 250,000.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars);already issued in a cheque as one of the 10 jackpot winners in this draw.



You have therefore been awarded the entire winning sum of USD 250,000.00(Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars).



Make contact with your designated fiduciary agent who shall by duty guide you through the claims process to facilitate the release of your winning cheque.





To file for your claim, Please Contact your fiduciary agent with the details below:





Name (in Full):...



Country:....



Address:.......



Direct Telephone No:......



Age:....



Sex:.....



Occupation/position:.........





Send the above information to;



Gerald Bar

Claims Co-ordinator

Microsoft Lottery

E-mail: promoclaims@apowerball.com



Thank you for being part of this promotional award program.All winnings must be claimed not later than two weeks from now;as failure to do so will indicate that the winner has voluntarily forfeited the winnings.





However,due to the mix up of some numbers and names,we ask that you keep this award strictly out of public notice until your claim has been processed and your winning check delivered.



This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unscrupulous acts by participants.



Also note that,in order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications,remember to quote your Reference and Batch numbers in every of your correspondence with the claims manager.



Once again accept my congratulations!



Regards,



Mrs. Emily Smith



Lottery coordinator

Microsoft Power Ball Uk Lottery

Brookmount Drive,Chandos Lane

London

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam