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:

• 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:
  • "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. )
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • ",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)
• 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!
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +447024020122 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • claims.ealp.info@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Euro ealp05 <e_alp_05@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 19:11:51 -0400
Subject: ***Congratulations*** You Have Won



EURO AMERICAN LOTTERY PROMO 3b Olympic Way, Sefton Business Park, Aintree, Liverpool, L30 1RD FROM: THE DESK OF THE DIRECTOR PROMOTIONS, INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT, REF: EALP/66-CAW662007AWARD NOTIFICATIONWe are pleased to inform you of the announcement today, 14th of September 2007 of winners of the EURO AMERICAN LOTTERY PROMO held on 9th of September, 2007.Your email address was attached to ticket number 13-2466-69486-699; with serial number GP58-89 drew the lucky numbers 17-14-64-66, and consequently won in category A. You have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of GBP 1,000,000.00 POUNDS in cash credited to file REF:NO. EALP/66-CAW662005. This is from total prize money of GBP 5,000,000.00 POUNDS, shared among the 5 international winners in this category. All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from companies/individuals from Middle East, Australia, New Zealand,America, Asia, Europe and North America as part of our International Promotions Program, which is conducted annually. CONGRATULATIONS! Your fund is now deposited with a Security company insured in ref no. EALP/86-AC952005.Due to the mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep this award strictly from public notice until your claim has been processed and your money remitted to your account. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unscrupulous acts by participants of this program. We hope with a part of you prize, you will participate in our end of year high stakes GBP 10,000,000.00 POUNDS international lottery. To begin your claim, please respond back to your claims agent,Name: Jackson PetersE-mail: claims.ealp.info@gmail.com Telephone Number: +44-702-402-0122He will brief you on steps to be taken for due processing and remittance of your prize money. Remember, you must contact him not later than two weeks after this date or funds will be returned as unclaimed. NOTE: In order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please remember to quote your reference number in every one of your correspondences. Congratulations again from all our staff and thank you for being part of our promotional program.Sincerely, Aaron NavarroTHE DIRECTOR PROMOTIONS, EURO AMERICAN LOTTERY PROMO
_________________________________________________________________
Kick back and relax with hot games and cool activities at the Messenger Café.
http://www.cafemessenger.com?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_SeptWLtagline

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam