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 phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "million 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)
  • "dormant account" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Robert Pope." <robpope@samuraiemail.com>
Reply-To: gkwuea@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 08:15:55 +0100
Subject: Business Proposal.


As Manager in a big bank in the Republic of South Africa, I discovered a
dormant account
in my office. It will be in my interest to transfer this fund worth USD25
million (Twenty Five Million Dollars)
to an account offshore, and due to this fact, confidentiality is a must. I
will need your assistance for this
project to be possible.

My proposal is this, help me to transfer these funds and you will get 40
percent of the total funds when
we are through.

These funds have been sitting here for so long and our policy at the bank is
to claim all funds that have
been in accounts that are redundant for a certain number of years. I want to
claim this funds with your help.

These funds belong to a late client, what i propose is that you stand in as
his next of kin since he has none
and then i will get you all necessary documentation to make this possible.

We will do this by getting you all necessary documentation to show your
relationship to my client and by
doing so, confirm you as sole beneficiary to the estate of my client.

As an officer of the bank, I cannot be directly connected to this money thus
I am impelled to request for
your assistance to receive this money into your bank account on my behalf.
At the same time I must tell you
that the project is legitimate and we will follow the legal procedures at
all times.

Please get back to me ASAP, if in the event you are interested.

Thanks for your time,

Robert Pope.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam