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:
  • "claims office" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
  • "you are advice to " (this email uses bad English)
  • "courier service" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "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!
• 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.
  • +447045700476 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +448704714897 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • diamond_courierservice@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Mr Thomas Nicholas <mic_nicholasthomas@live.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:38:39 -0500
Subject: =?Windows-1252?Q?MICROSOFT=AE_AWARDS_OFFICIAL_CLAIMS_UPDATE?=



MICROSOFT AWARD TEAMMicrosoft Award Team102 Eaton SquareLondon SW1 W9ANUnited Kingdom.Ref: BTD/968/06Batch: 409978E PAYMENT OPTIONS / DELIVERY PROCEDURE ATTN : Winner , This is to inform and remind you once again of your winning prize won by your email, please be informed that your cheque has not yet been claimed by you from the payment company DIAMOND INTERNATIONAL COURIER COMPANY, the courier managment contacted us today regarding your claim, they have notify us that you haven't yet provided their transfer/delivery requirements. We want to use this medium to inform you that the Microsoft Award Agency will be canceling your prize within the next 2 working days from this communication if you fail to claim your prize from the courier firm, and you are required to contact the courier firm for your prize within this 2 working days to process and claim your prize from them to prevent you from lossen your prize of 1,000,000.00 GBP (one million great british pounds) won by your e-mail. Also the courier has provided an altarnate contact e-mail address for you to make contact with them to process and claim your prize. You are advice to comply with the courier service because they are in possession of your cheque and also they are in charge of prize delivery. Stated below is the courier contact details provided by them: CONTACT DIAMOND INTERNATIONAL COURIER:MR. WILLIAMS HARLEM DIAMOND INT"L COURIER93 Wolfington RoadWest NorwoodLondonSE27 0RHTEL: +44 704 570 0476FAX: +44 870 471 4897EMAIL: diamond_courierservice@yahoo.co.uk You are requested to contact the courier by stating your VERIFICATION CODE (876590MICROSOFT000000), also by stating your pin numbers also (91240076). including your choice of delivery from the two options listed below: 1. Have your winning certified draft couriered by our affiliate Courier firm to you personally so that you can take it to your local bank to cash. 2. Have your winning certified draft also couriered directly to your nominated Bank and be deposited in your account on your behalf. For any further enquiry, please do contact us via phone or email back immediately. Congratulations once again from the entire staff of the Microsoft Award Team. Mr.Thomas NicholasTel: +44 701 114 9731 CLAIMS OFFICERMICROSOFT AWARD TEAMUNITED KINGDOM.
_________________________________________________________________
Put your friends on the big screen with Windows Vista® + Windows Live™.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/shop/specialoffers.mspx?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_CPC_MediaCtr_bigscreen_102007

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam