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.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • intcreditcommission@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Martin Smith" <martinsmith2711@lycos.co.uk> (may be fake)
Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 12:10:35 +0100
Subject: Notice from Citi bank .

From the Desk of
Mr. Martin Smith.
International Credit commission for Citi bank of California
America.
intcreditcommission@hotmail.com <mailto:intcreditcommission@hotmail.com>
Telephone: 1213233163; Fax: 18013402784.


Attention Sir/Madam,

After series of effort to reach you concerning the application we got from a Brazilian firm to transfer beneficiary statues of your funds, which was sent to our bank from Africa for the payment of your business transaction, which never got to you after sending and spending series of money.

We therefore write for you to confirm that you're the person that authorized the transfer of the beneficiary statues of the funds in our bank here in America to the Brazilian firm.

If we do not here from your in the next one week we will be obliged to carry out the transfer and we will not be held responsible as we have written you/ your organization officially for the final notice.


Thanks
Yours truly,
Mr. Martin Smith.


Lycos email has 300 Megabytes of free storage... Get it now at mail.lycos.co.uk <http://mail.lycos.co.uk>

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam