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:
  • "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)
  • "million pounds" (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)
  • ",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)
  • "dear beneficiary," (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "remain blessed" (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
• 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!
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • +31626415837 (Netherlands, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • acfoundation11@yahoo.com.hk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
  • attnypaul_westley.chambes@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "CASH GRANT DONATION" <acfoundation11@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 02:48:18 -1200
Subject: CALL TO CONFIRM....

A.C.F.
Amsterdam,NL.

Dear Beneficiary,

This is to inform you that you have been chosen By the Board
of
trustees of the above International charity organization as
one of the final
recipients of a Cash Donation.

Based on the random selection exercise of internet service
providers (ISP)
and millions of Super market cash invoices worldwide, you
were selected
among the lucky recipients to receive the award sum of
US$2,000,000.00
(TWO Million United States Dollars) as charity donations/aid
from the
Association Of European Charity Foundations and the UNO in
accordance with
the enabling act of Parliament. Note that, your email was
selected from
either the internet, or a Shop's cash invoice around your
area in which
you might have purchased something from.

You are required to Contact the Executive Secretary below
for
confirmation.

Your Qualification numbers are: (A-121-637, G-01-06)
**********************************
Executive Secretary,
Mr. Arthur stewart
Tel:+31-626-415-837
Fax: +31-847-375-060
Email:acfoundation11@yahoo.com.hk

Finally, all funds should be claimed by their respective
beneficiaries,
not later that 7 days after notification.

On behalf of the Board kindly accept our warmest
congratulations

Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. Gordon JUlia
(Foundation officer)

Lady Helen Crawford.
38 Old Church Street,
Manchester, England.

Here writes Lady Helen Crawford, suffering from cancerous
ailment. I was married to Sir William Crawford an Englishman
who is dead. When my husband was alive, he was into private
practice all his life. Our life together as husband and wife
lasted for about three decades without a child. My husband
died after a protracted illness. My husband and I made a vow
to uplift the down-trodden and the less-privileged
individuals in the society, as we both had passion for those
people who can not help themselves due to physical
disability or financial predicament. I can adduce this to
the fact that we both needed a Child from this relationship,
which never came.

When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of
Twenty Five Million Pounds Sterling(25,000,000.00 GBP) which
were derived from his vast estates and investment in capital
market with his bank here in UK(all records are kept with my
family lawyer). Presently, the money is still with the Bank.
Recently, my Doctor told me that, I have limited days to
live, due to the cancerous problems that i have been
suffering from. Though what bothers me most is the stroke
that I have in addition with the cancer. Hence, With this
hard reality that has befallen my family and me, I have
decided to donate this fund to you and i want you to use
this gift which comes from my Late husbands effort to
establish a charity home called "Crawford Charity
Foundation" for the upkeep of the down-trodden and persons
who prove to be genuinely handicapped financially.

I took this decision because I do not have any child that
will inherit this money and my late husband relatives are
bourgeois and very wealthy persons and I do not want my
husband hard earned money to be misused or invested into ill
perceived ventures. Hence the reason for taking this bold
decision. I do not need any telephone communication in this
regard due to my deteriorating health and also because of
the presence of my husband relatives around me. I do not
want them to know about this development, that is why I
cannot give this fund to anybody here in England, because my
Husband relatives are people who are highly placed here in
England, and will do very thing possible to frustrate all
attempts within this country. Moreso they do not know about
this Twenty Five Million Pounds sterling deposit that my
late husband made with his bank. Presently, this deposit is
only known by me, my family lawyer and now you.

So, i want you to Contact my family lawyer Barrister Paul
Westley (ESQ) with this specified email addressemail:
attnypaul_westley.chambes@yahoo.co.uk and Tell him that I
have WILLED the £25,000,000 to you by quoting my personal
reference number
Law/chamber/solicitors/rt/osb/WILL/9834520012, as I have
also notified him that I will be WILLING that amount to you
for a specific purpose and good work.

Please, assure me that you will act just as I have stated
herein. as i Hope to hear from you soon that you have
contacted my family lawyer with the email address that i
have given to you above, as he is presently waiting to
receive your reply.

Remain blessed your Sister,
Lady Helen Crawford

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam