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:
  • "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)
  • "hundred thousand 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)
  • "is highly confidential" (they don't want anyone to point out to you that this is a scam)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • +447031843174 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: Barclays Bank London Plc <robertmacauley@she.com>
Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:11:46 -0400
Subject: From: ROBERT MACAULEY

ROBERT McCAULEY.
Barclays Bank PLC.
Registered No: 1026167.
Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place,
London, E14 5HP
PHONE: +44 703 184 3174
Alternative Mail: robertt@satellite-email.com

Dearest,

Please permit me to make your acquaintance in an informal manner. This
is necessitated by my urgent need to reach a dependable and
trustworthy foreign partner.

This request may seem strange and unsolicited but I will crave your
indulgence and pray that you view it seriously.
I am a member of staff of Barclays Bank Plc here in London.I am writing
following an opportunity in my office that will be of imense benefit to both of us
though I know that you are already made. In my
department we discovered an abandoned sum of $11.8 million United states dollars
(Eleven million, Eight Hundred Thousand United states dollars) in an
account that belongs to one of our foreign customers, Late Mr. Morris
Thompson an American who unfortunately lost his life in the plane
crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 which crashed on January 31 2000, including
his wife and only daughter. You shall read more about the crash on
visiting this websites.

http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list/
Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his
next of kin or relatves to come over and claim his money because the
Bankcannot release the funds unless somebody applies for it as next of kin
or a relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines.
Unfortunately I learnt that his supposed next of kin being his only
daughter died along with him in the plane crash leaving nobody with the
knowledge of this fund to claim. It is therefore upon this discovery
that I and two other officials in this department now decided to do
business with you and release the money to you as the next of kin or
beneficiary of the funds for safe keeping and subsequent disbursement
since nobody is coming for it and we don't want this moneyto go back into
Government treasury as unclaimed bill. We agreed that 20% of this
moneywill be for you as the supposed next of kin, while 5% out of the total
sum is set aside for any expenses both party will incur during the
completion of the transfer, and remaining balance of 75% will be for
me and my colleagues. I will visit your country for the disbursement according
to the percentages indicated above once this money gets into your
account in any safe you will prefer. Please be honest with me and
trust should be our watchword in this transaction.

Note that this transaction is highly confidential and 100% risk free.
On receipt of this mail, please contact me by return mail if you are
willing to enter into this deal with me. In the event you are not
interested, I sincerely ask that you disregard this email and tell no
one about it. I am very careful not to truncate my banking career should you
mention this to someone else that might blow the lid. I hope you can
be trusted in this regard as I am fully aware that you are an
international figure hence this approach.
Please note that all necessary arrangement for the smooth release of
these funds to you has been finalised. We will discuss much in details
when I do receive your positive response.

Please in your response include your direct secured telephone/fax
numbers if possible include your bank account you intend to recieve
the fund.

Best regards,

Robert McCauley

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam