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:
  • "hundred thousand 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)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Lawrence Tan" <lawrence44tan@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 15:04:50 +0400
Subject: Urgent Attention Bijl


ATTN,
My name is Mr. Lawrence Tan, a legal practitioner with Abdul Malik & Co Law
Firm in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I saw your contact and profile and decided
that you could cooperate with me in this proposition.
I have a client who was deceased in November 2005,in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
I am contacting you because you have the same surname as my deceased client
and i felt that you could help me in the distribution of funds that were
left in my deceased client's account.
This fund is close to been declared un-serviceable by the finance house as
there were no indicated next of kin or next of beneficiary of the fund in
the account, having remained dormant for long.The total amount of cash in
the account of my deceased client is US$ 5.9 Million ( Five Million, Nine
Hundred Thousand United States dollars Only ).
The finance house had issued me, a notification to contact the next of kin
of my deceased client, to make beneficiary claim, of the fund in the
account, with a month surcharge of 6% to be deducted as an Escrow safe
keeping fee of the account,so as to avoid the indefinite closure of the
account.
My proposition to you is to seek your consent, and to present your kind self
as the next-of-kin and beneficiary of my deceased client, since you have the
same last name with him.
This means that the proceeds of his account would be paid to you as his next
of kin or the legitimate beneficiary.When the proceeds in his account are
paid to you, we would share the proceeds on a mutually agreed-upon
percentage of 60% to me and 40% to your kind self.
All the legal documents to back up your claim as my client's next of-kin
would be provided by me. The most important thing I would need is your
honest cooperation in this proposition.This would be done under a legitimate
arrangement that would protect you from any breach of the law.
If this business proposition offends your moral ethic and Value, do accept
my sincere apology and feel free to decline this proposal. Please contact me
at once in my private email bar.lawrence44yahoo.com should this arrangement
be acceptable to you.
Yours Sincerely,
Lawrence Tan Esq.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam