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)
  • "is 100% risk-free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a orphan scam.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +27732296232 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • simonthember@yahoo.co.uk

Fraud email example:

From: simonthember@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2006 08:15:39 +0200
Subject: Urgent from Simon.

From: MR. Simon Thember
NO 33 Nelson Mandela Street
Johannesburg Republic
of South Africa.
Phone:+27-73229-6232

Good day, my name is Simon Thember, the elder son of Mr. Buda Thember of Zimbabwe. This might be a surprise to you about where I got your contact address. I got your address from the South African Chamber of Commerce in Johannesburg, South Africa. During the current war against the farmers in Zimbabwe from the supports of our President Robert Mugabe to claim all the white-owned farms to his party members and his followers.

He ordered all white farmers to surrender all their farms to his party members and his followers. My father is one of the best farmers in our country and because of that he did not support Mugabe’s ideas,Mugabe’s supporters invaded my father’s farm and burnt everything in the farm, killing my father and made away with a lot of items in my father’ s farm. Before his death, my father had deposited with one of the Security Company hear in Johannesburg South Africa the sum of US$22. 5 Million (Twenty Two Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars).

After the death of my father, we decided to move to the Republic of South Africa where he had deposited the money in the Security Company as valuables. So I decided to contact overseas firm and companies that will assist me to move this money out of SouthAfrica. Because as refugee asylum seekers we are not allowed to operate any bank account within South Africa. We have agreed to offer you 25% of the total sum for your assistance, 5% will be mapped out for any expenses that may be incurred in the course of this transaction and 70% will be for me and my family to invest in your country.

All I want you to do is to furnish me with your entire personal phone and fax numbers for easy communication. Note: that this transaction is 100% risk-free and absolutely confidential, for private use for my family I urge you to contact me through my email address at ( simonthember@yahoo.co.uk). Do you understand because this money is my family last hope and we cannot afford to lose it, after the death of my father.

Please visit my country website: (www .mdczimbabwe.org). And you will see what is happening there for God sake, my country is in trouble please my family nee your assistance urgently to transfer this money into your bank account in your country for us to invest with you.
Thanks and God bless.

Simon Thember.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam