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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • ",500,000" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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: "Henry Zongo" <henry_zongo3@omsk.biz>
Reply-To: henry_zongo@live.fr
Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 18:42:48 +0000
Subject: URGENT BUSINESS PROPOSAL.


Dear Friend,


I'm Mr.HENRY ZONGO, an accountant in a financial institution here in
BURKINA FASO . I am the head of the accounts department. I am pleased to get
across to you for a very urgent and profitable business proposal which I
believe will profit the both of us after completion. I contacted you after a
careful thought that you might be capable of handling this business
transaction, which i explained below.



The sum of US$10,500,000.00 has been floating as unclaimed fund since 2005
here in the bank, as all efforts to get across to the relatives of our
client who deposited the money proved abortive. Our foreign customer who
died in the charter plane which crashed with his family in Central England
in the year 2003.

All attempts to trace his next of kin were fruitless. My position here at my
office requiries me to investigate and I therefore made further
investigations and discovered that Our foreign customer did not declare any
next of kin or relation in all his official documents, including his bank
deposit paperwork in my bank.



According to the Bank inheritance's Law, the money will revert to the
ownership of the Burkina Faso government if nobody applies to claim the
fund. To avoid this money being sent to the Central Bank treasury as
unclaimed funds, I have decided to seek your assistance to have you stand as
his next of kin so that the said fund ($10.5m) would be released in your
name as the next of kin and paid into your account.



All documents and proof that will have you claim! this fund without stress
will be forwarded to you upon your response to this mail more so, i want to
inform you that i have unanimously agreed to offer you (39%) of the total
sum for the assistance and role you are going to play in this
transaction,(11%) will be used to establish a charity organization in your
country with your supervision while the remaining will be for me and my
other loyal colleagues here.



I assure you that this excercise will be carried out legally through your
cooperation. I will be hoping you will give this a thoughtful consideration
as i will be looking forward to reading from you urgently to enable us
proceed with this transaction.



Hope to read from you soonest !
Best regards,
HENRY ZONGO

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam