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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - that's what the scam is about)
  • "trunk box" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "trunk boxes" (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)
  • "your urgent reply" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
• 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.
  • atsmith_55@yahoo.es (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Anthony smith" <rt_ventures8@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: atsmith_55@yahoo.es
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2006 01:15:11 +0000
Subject: Letter From Smith.



Dear Friend,

I am Mr. Anthony smith , deputy senior regional manager at Lloyds TSB
Commercial Finance in Yorkshire. I have urgent and very confidential
business proposition for you. On June 6, 2000, Mr. Barry Kelly made a
numbered time (Fixed) Deposit for forty-eight months, (being four years)
valued at US fourty Million Dollars in my branch.Upon maturity, I sent a
routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply. After a
month, we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his employers, that
Mr. Barry Kelly died from tsunami on his holidays in Thailand 26 December
2004. On further investigation, I found out that he died without making a
WILL and all attempts to trace his next of kin was fruitless. I therefore
made further investigation and discovered that Mr. Barry Kelly did not
declare any kin or relations in all his official documents, including his
Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank. This sum of US fourty Million Dollars
has carefully been moved out of my bank to a security company for
safekeeping.

No one will ever come forward to claim it. According to British Law, at the
expiration of (three) years, the money will revert to the ownership of the
British Government if nobody applies to claim the fund. Consequently, my
proposal is that I will like you to stand in as the owner of the money. I
deposited it in consignments (two trunk boxes) with a finance and security
company. though the security company does not know the contents of the
consignments as I tagged them to be photographic materials for export. I am
writing you because I as a public servant (Manager with the bank), I cannot
operate a foreign account or have an account that is more than 1 Million
Dollars.

I want to present you as the owner of the trunk boxes in the security
company so you can be able to claim them with the help of my attorney. This
is simple. I will like you to provide immediately your full names and
address so that the Attorney will prepare the necessary documents which will
put you in place as the owner of the boxes. The money will be moved out for
us to share in the ratio of 70% for me and 30% for you. There is no risk at
all as all the paperwork for this transaction will be done by the Attorney
and this will guarantees the successful execution of this transaction.

If you are interested, please reply immediately via my email address
(atsmith_55@yahoo.es) upon your response, I shall then provide you with more
details that will help you understand the transaction. Please observe
utmost confidentiality, and be rest assured that this transaction would be
most profitable for both of us because I shall require your assistance to
invest my share into any profitable business in your country.

Do send me your private/mobile telephone fax number so that we can have a
smooth communication.

Awaiting your urgent reply

Thanks and regards.
ATHONY SMITH

_________________________________________________________________
Find a local pizza place, music store, museum and more…then map the best
route! http://local.live.com?FORM=MGA001

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam