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)
  • "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.
  • +31644961326 (Netherlands, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "NOTIFICATION FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES" <acebbbn@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 08 Nov 2006 13:16:48 +0600
Subject: NOTIFICATION FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

FROM THE DESK OF THE DIRECTOR: BELKIN AID INTERNATIONAL PRIZE AWARD DEPT
WINNING NOTIFICATION FOR CATEGORY "A" WINNER ONLY

ATTENTION!

This is to notify you that you have been choosen By the Board of Trustees
of the BELKIN AID (NGO NL) as one of the final Recepients of a Cash
Grant/Donation
Economic growth and a poverty alleviation scheme.

BELKIN AID (NGO NL) a Multi-Million Euros NGO group was established with
the objective Of Human Growth,Educational and Community development.

In line with the 28 years anniversary program, the BELKIN AID (NGO NL) in
conjunction with the European Council is giving out One Hundred Million
euros
funds as specific Donations/Grants to 150 lucky international recipients
worldwide in different categories for Business development and Social.

These funds are freely given to use for your business and educational
development, charitable work and your community development at large.

Your Email was selected Based on an internet random selection exercise, You
therefore confirmed one of the lucky recipients and are entitled to
1,500,000.00. (One Million Five Hundred Thousand Euros) as charity
donations/aid from the BELKIN AID (NGO NL).

you are advised to contact our Certified and Accredited claims agent for
category "A" winners with the information below:
***************************************************************************
*****************
Name: Pablo Ventura
Email: enquiries@belkin-nl.com
Tel : +31 644961326
Fax: +31 847593188
***************************************************************************
*****************
You are advised to provide him with the following information:

1. Given Name (As Stated in your ID)
2. Telephone/Fax number:
3. Nationality:
4. Age:

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

regards,

Mrs.Deborah Jones
Grant Coordinator.
Belkin Aid,
Amsterdam,Netherlands.

***This email may contain confidential and/or privileged information.
The information is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity
named above. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any
disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents is prohibited. If
you have received this electronic transmission in error, please notify the
sender by telephone or return email and delete the material from your
computer.***

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam