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 beloved," (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
• This email message is a "dying widow" scam.

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: <esthab55@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:57:03 +0000
Subject: Can I work with you?



Dear beloved,

Greetings in the name of God, Please let this not sound strange to you for my only surviving personal lawyer who would have done this died early this year.i prayed and got you email id from your country's guest book which i have been with my late husband and liked to visit once more if God will in his infinite mercies.

I am Mrs. Esther Abdul and I am suffering from a long time cancer of the esophagus which also affected my brain,from all indication my conditions is really deteriorating and it is quite obvious that, according to my doctors they have advised me that i may not live for the next three months,this is because the cancer stage has gotten to a very bad stage.

I was an orphan and brought up from a motherless babies home was married to my late husband for twenty years without a child ,my husband died in a fatal motor accident.Since his death I decided not to re-marry,I sold all my inherited belongings and deposited all the sum with a finance house.

Presently, this money is still with them and the management just wrote me as the true owner to come forward to receive the money for keeping it so long or rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf since I can not come over because of my illness or they get it confiscated.

Presently, I'm with my laptop in a specialist hospital in where I have been undergoing treatment for my illness. It is my last wish to see that this money is invested to any organization of your choice and distributed each year among the charity organization,the poor and the motherless babies home.

I want you as God/Allah fearing person, to also use this money to fund churches, orphanages and widows,I took this decision, before i rest in peace because my time will so on be up.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the finance house. I will also issue you a letter of authority through another lawyer here that I met that will prove you as the new beneficiary of my fund. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein.

Please re-acquaint me with your full name, address,telephone/fax number, age, occupation so that I can get to know you better.

Waiting for your reply.

Mrs. Esther Abdul

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam