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:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
• 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!

Fraud email example:

From: Benson Smith <euro_million_office_01@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2007 08:54:16 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Mr.Benson Smith




Attn:

I am Mr.Benson Smith the claims agent assigned to your Claims.

I wish to Congratulate you for being one of the lucky winners of this years Euro million promo,Count yourself a lucky person.

Your email address is amongst those chosen this year from our new java-based software that randomly selects email addresses from the web in which winners are selected.

I am glad to inform you that in receipt of your mail your winning certificate and cheque will be ready for disbursement in exactly Two(2) days time.

In this regard,you will be expected to provided the details below to enable this office file your claims.

Full Names:
Country of resident:
Residental Address:
Date of birth:
Contact Phone Number:
Occupation:

Note:Your funds with us is not in liquid form but in Bank Cheque, this
advice complies with the Anti-Fraud section 2,sub secti on (iv) of the procedural
manual of the funds disbursement agreement existing between courier company and the U.K Government.

We awaits your next correspondence in regards to the provision of your details for processing.

Mr.Benson Smith
Fiduciary Agent



---------------------------------
New Yahoo! Mail is the ultimate force in competitive emailing. Find out more at the Yahoo! Mail Championships. Plus: play games and win prizes.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam