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:
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - that's what the scam is about)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million 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)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • paulwright@inbox.ru (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: rebeccawright291@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 00:28:42 +0200
Subject: Pls assist.

FROM: MRS REBECCA WRIGHT
ADDRESS: ASYLUM CAMP 4, ROOM 193, YOVIEL
JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA.

Good day,
Our present situation has made us decided to send you this mail that I am sure will come to you as a surprise. Please we mean you no harm only we are in a desperate situation and need urgent help. After going through this mail it will be your decision, whether to help this bereaved family or to leave us to our faith, but whatever you decide, bear in mind that we are in trouble and need your help.

I am Mrs. Rebecca Wright, the wife of late Mr. Gibson Wright the Zimbabwean farm lord, one of the major victims in the Land Reform crisis in Zimbabwe. You might have read or heard about it. We got your contact privately and decided to contact you in view of your profession and confirmed reliability.

Our country Zimbabwe is in a near civil war with no end in sight. The President Robert Mugabe had introduced a new Land Reform Act meant to deprive and relocate all the major Farm owners in Zimbabwe. This has resulted in the Zimbabwean war veteran and black mob killing, looting and displacing the entire major farms in Zimbabwe. Thousands have been killed. My husband and my two children are among the victims, as we own one of the biggest modern farms in the Southern Africa region. You can get more information on this Land Reform on:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/222097.stm

Before my husband was murdered in cold blood, he traveled to South Africa due to the rage and killing and deposited the sum of USD$30.000.000.00 (Thirty Million United States Dollars) in a Security Company in South Africa, it was deposited as a family valuable to avoid unnecessary attention and high demurrage payment as this money was actually meant for the development and building of an Ultra Modern Farms in Southern African region with all its Machineries, but he did not live to accomplish this dream. Faced with this situation, I ran to South Africa with my remaining family where we are currently residing as political Asylum.

Now according to South African law we are not allowed to have financial transaction, this is the reason we seek your candid assistance to help
us as a foreigner to retrieve this fund (USD$ 30.000.000.00) from the Security Company, and subsequently plan for a profitable investment where part of this fund could be invested in, in your country.

Please do understand that there is no risk of any kind involve in this, as all modalities are already in place for a successful conclusion of this transaction. All that we require of you is your reliability and trustworthiness not to take advantage of our vulnerable position in this matter.

We have resolved to reward you with 20% of the total sum after a successful completion of the business transaction, 5% will be to offset every expenditure that we might incur as a result of this transaction, 65% will be for proposed business investment and 10% will be used to purchase country home for me and my only surviving son Paul. This money is all we have left for my remaining family and me. I am presently on a sick bed. My ill health is due to the trauma from what I have been through. More so I will need your assistant to help us migrate over immediately this fund is transferred to your account. We need not remind you of the confidential nature of this transaction, please keep it as such. Contact my son Paul with the email address below he is presently in charge due to my ill health.

Email: paulwright@inbox.ru

Yours faithfully,
Rebecca Wright

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam