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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • fedexcourier_1@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Lucy Williams" <billmail@purcell.biz>
Reply-To: fedexcourier_1@yahoo.fr
Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2007 07:24:21 +0100
Subject: Urgent contact the FEDEX COURIER COMPANY BENIN Email Address:fedexcourier_1@yahoo.fr

Dear Friend,

Greetings!

I have been waiting for you since to contact me for your Confirmable Bank
Draft of $800.000.00 United States Dollars, but I did not hear from you
since that time. Then I went and deposited the Draft with FEDEX COURIER
COMPANY BENIN , Cotonou, Benin Republic before I travelled out of the country
for a 3 Months Course and I will not come back till end of February.

What you have to do now is to contact the FEDEX COURIER COMPANY BENIN as
soon as possible to know when they will deliver your package to you because
of the expiring date.

For your information, I have paid for the delivering Charge, Insurance fee.
The only money you will send to the Courier Company to deliver your Draft
direct to your postal Address in your country is ($105.00 US) One Hundred
& Five United States Dollars only being Security Keeping Fee of the Courier
Company so far.

Again, don't be deceived by anybody to pay any other money except $105.00
US Dollars. I would have paid that but they said no because they don't know
when you will contact them and in case of deumorage.
You have to contact the FEDEX COURIER COMPANY BENIN now for the delivery
of your Draft with this information bellow;

Contact Person: DR.Cool Williams.
Email Address:fedexcourier_1@yahoo.fr

Finally, make sure that you reconfirm your Postal address and Direct telephone
number to them again to avoid any mistake on the Delivery and ask them to
give you the tracking number to enable you track your package over there
and know when it will get to your address.

Let me repeat again, try to contact them as soon as you receive this mail
to avoid any further delay and remember to pay them their Security Keeping
fee of $105.00 US Dollars for their immediate action.You should also let
me know through email as soon as you receive your Draft.

Yours Faithfully,

Mr.Lucy Emeka.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam