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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
• This email message is a fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
  
  1. They don't notify winners by email.
  2. You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
  3. They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
  4. They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
  5. They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
  6. They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
  7. They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!
• 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.
  • law_mart77@yahoo.fr

Fraud email example:

From: "swisszerland lottery" <swiss_lottery20@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: law_mart23@yahoo.fr
Date: Thu, 05 Jan 2006 11:01:23 +0000
Subject: REF NO: SL/74/368/05 Congratulations

FROM: SWISS LOTTO INTERNATIONAL
POSTFACH, 4002 BASEL.
HEAD OFFICE: SWITZERLAND
REF NO: SL/74/368/05
BATCH NO: SL-121-LT-11-12-05
DEAR SIR/MADAM,
WE ARE PLEASED TO INFORM YOU THAT AS A RESULT OF OUR RECENT DRAWS HELD

ON THE 10TH OF NOVEMBER 2005.
Your e-mail address attached to ticket number 27522465896-532 with serial
number

652-662 drew lucky numbers 7-14-18-23-31-45, which consequently won in the
2nd

category. You have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of
$1,000,000 (ONE

MILLION DOLLARS) Note that all participants in this lottery program have
been selected

randomly through a computer ballot system drawn from over 20,000 companies
and

30,000,000 individual email addresses from all search engines and web sites.
This promotional program takes place every year, and is promoted and
sponsored by

eminent personalities like the Sultan of Brunei, Bill gates of Microsoft Inc
and other

corporate organizations. This is to encourage the use of the Internet and
computers

worldwide.
For security purpose and clarity, we advise that you keep your winning
information

confidential until your claims have been processed and your money remitted
to you.

This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claims and unwarranted
abuse of

this program by some participants. We look forward to your active
participation in our

next year USD50 million slot.
To file for your claim, please contact our fiducially agent claims officer
via email as soon

as possible for the immediate release of your winnings:
Mr. Lawrence Martins
E-mail address: law_mart77@yahoo.fr

Remember, all winnings must be claimed not later than one month after the
date of this

notice.
Please note, in order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications,
remember to quote

your reference number and batch numbers in all correspondence.
Furthermore, should there be any change of address do inform our agent as
soon as

possible. Congratulations once more and thank you for being part of our
promotional

program.
NOTE: YOU ARE AUTOMATICALLY DISQUALIFIED IF YOU ARE BELOW 18 YEARS OF

AGE.
You are advised to forward this information as soon as possible to enable us
attend to

your winnings. Our Finance company has been contracted to handle payments on
your

behalf, once we confirm your information, your payments would be processed.

Sincerely yours,
Mrs. Elizabeth Peters
(LOTTERY CO-ORDINATOR)
POSTFACH, 4002 BASEL.
HEAD OFFICE: SWITZERLAND.



--

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam