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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • +27731828938 (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.
  • helen_makawa@hotmail.com
  • smithmakawa@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "helen makawa" <makawasfamily11@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 10:01:48 +0200
Subject: FAMILY ASSISTANCE'''TREAT AS URGENT'''

FROM: MRS. HELEN MAKAWA
TEL :+27-731828 938

PRIVATE EMAIL:helen_makawa@hotmail.com
 

ATTN: PRESIDENT/CEO,
                     

URGENT BUSINESS PROPOSAL/ASSISTANCE

 I cannot imagine the surprise this will bring to you, but please be rest assured is with good faith and intentions from a family in dare need of your assistance to help us transfer the inheritance sum of US$15.5million into your account or company`s account in which God will bless you for rendering a helping hand to others.
 

I am Mrs.Helen Makawa , from Sierra Leone (currently residing in South Africa), the wife to the late Brigadier Thompson Makawa. I got your contact details in the course of my discreet search for a reliable and God fearing person from the Johannesburg Trade an Exhibition Centre and after going through your profile, I decided to solicit for your kind assistance. I am currently residing with my family( a son and a daughter) here in South Africa as asylum seekers and the South African Fiscal Policy Law and Regulations does not allow us certain financial rights. 
 

My husband was a brigadier in charge of Arms and Ammunition procurement for the Sierra Leone Army before his death. After his death I discovered that in his will, he specifically drew my attention to the sum of US$15.5 million, which he had deposited, in a  Private Security Company  in Johannesburg, South Africa as Family treasury.
 

The lives and future of my family depends on this fund as such I will be grateful if you can assist us in view of this, I cannot invest this fund in South Africa hence my asking you to assist me to transfer it out of South Africa for investment purposes in your country.As we want to move out of African Region for a better life.
 I am prepared to offer you 30% of the total sum while 5% will be set aside for expenses incurred during the course of this transaction and the remaining 65% is for the family investment in your country. 
 

Please note that this transaction is risk-free and the major thing I ask of you is to assure me the safety of the money when transferred to your account. Further information and arrangement will commence as soon as trust, confidence and good relationship is established between you and my family.

  I shall be most grateful if you maintain the high confidentiality required in this transaction. Do not hesitate to call my son {SMITH} on phone for further directives because he speaks English better or send me email to enable us commence towards the conclusion of this transaction as our family lawyer is here to execute the transaction before  going back to SIERRA LEONE.
 

I await for your prompt response as I will send you my family picture in my next letter to you. Please reply to my son email: smithmakawa@hotmail.com OR my private email above.

Thanks and God bless,

Mrs. HELEN MAKAWA
( FOR THE FAMILY)

 

---

Want to see who's on the other side? Chat via video on Windows Live Messenger!

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam