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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
• 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 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.
  • +447023055144 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • micro_onlotpromcedwin@graffiti.net

Fraud email example:

From: "Microsoft Online Lottery Promotions" <award_dept@microsoftonlinelotterypromotions.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2006 01:40:46 +0200
Subject: YOUR ONLINE LOTTERY PROMOTIONS PRIZE AWARDS WINNING NOTIFICATION.

From the Desk of the Microsoft Online Lottery Coordinator,
MICROSOFT ONLINE LOTTERY PROMOTIONS,
(NOTIFICATION DIVISION)
Ref Number: ONLOTPRO/315689B2/909
Batch Number: 892/ABC/6729/2006

Dear Lucky Winner,

YOUR ONLINE LOTTERY PROMOTIONS PRIZE AWARDS WINNING NOTIFICATION.

We are pleased to inform you of the Result of the last Final Annual Draw of our Lottery International Programs.

The Online Lottery draws was conducted from an exclusive list of 25,000,000 E-mail Addresses of Individual and Corporate bodies picked by an Advanced Automated random computer search from the Internet. "NO TICKETS WERE SOLD".

After this Automated Computer Ballot, your E-mail Address emerged as a winner attached to E-Ticket Number: 826389304 9934 with Serial Number 829677 drew the Lucky Numbers: 36.27.23.29.31.59 (Bonus No.49), which subsequently won you the Lottery in the 2nd Category. You have therefore been approved to Claim a total sum of $4,350,000 (Four Million Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand USD) in cash credited to file ONLOTPRO/8292648506/2006. This is from a Total Cash Prize of $24,500,000 shared amongst the first Six (6) Lucky Winners in this Category.

Your Prize Award has been insured and is ready for claims. To begin your claims therefore, you are advised to expeditiously contact our licensed and accredited Claim Agent for Overseas Lottery Winners within a period of 14 days (Date of this Email inclusive) for the processing of your winning and remittance to your designated Bank Account after all statutory obligations have been satisfactorily dispensed with.

You are further advised to contact him with the informations below:
=======================================================================
Online Lottery Claims Unit
Contact Person: Mr. Edwin McDaniels
Email: micro_onlotpromcedwin@graffiti.net,
Office Tel: +44-702-305-5144,+ 44-703-182-0462
Fax: +44-709-286-1406.
=======================================================================
You are advised to provide him with the following information:

Names:
Address:
Age:
Occupation:
Telephone/Fax number:
Nationality:
Reference Numbers:
Batch Numbers:

NOTE: All winnings must be claimed not later than 14 Days; thereafter, all unclaimed funds would be included in the next stake. Remember to quote your Reference information in all correspondence.

You are to keep all lotto information confidential, especially your Reference and Ticket Numbers. (This is important, as a case of double claims will not be entertained). Members of the affiliate agencies are automatically not allowed to participate in this Program.

Furthermore, should there be any change of Address do inform our Agent as soon as possible.

NOTE: Anybody under the Age of 18 is Automatically Disqualified.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Yours' Faithfully,

Walter Jones
Lottery Coordinator.

PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS BUT TO YOUR ONLINE CLAIMS AGENT FOR ONWARD REMITTANCE OF YOUR CLAIMS.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam