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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million 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)
  • "my names are " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
• This email message is a "dying widow" scam.
• 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.
  • mrselizabethfranklin@latinmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mrs ELIZABETH FRANKLIN" <mrselizabethfranklin01@latinmail.com>
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:08:01 +0100 (CET)
Subject: REMAIN BLESSED


Dear Friend,=20

I know this letter will definitely come as a surprise to you but I hope=
as you read on, you will come to understand I have decided- after abou=
t four and a half month of thinking about the whole issue- to seek you=
r help in carrying out my last wishes. I don=92t really know you but I =
have prayed, thought about it and moreover I have no choice now and for=
another reason I prefer not to disclose. My names are Mrs. Elizabeth F=
ranklin.=20

I am 67 years old and I was born and brought up from a motherless baby=92=
s home the Netherlands. I was married to my late husband for twenty yea=
rs and had two children but as God would have it. They died in an auto =
accident six years ago. Before this happened, my business and concern f=
or making money was all I lived for. I never really cared about other v=
alues in life. But since the loss of my family, I have found a new desi=
re to assist helpless families. I have been helping orphans in orphanag=
es/motherless baby=92s homes, especially in Africa. I have also donated=
some funds for humanitarian aid and rehabilitation of prostitutes in R=
io de janiero, Brazil, when I was healthier. I know by now you might be=
wondering why this entire long story. I am a new Christian convert, su=
ffering from long time cancer of the breast, all indication from my doc=
tor that my conditions are really deteriorating and it is quite obvious=
that i wouldn=92t live more than three months. According to my doctors=
, and in all indication regards to medical analysis, this is because th=
e cancer disease has gotten to a very bad stage that there is no hope f=
or me to be a living person again. I have also lost my ability to talk=
, due to this my poor health condition. Presently I been hospitalized a=
nd my only means of communication at the moment is by my email or sms m=
essage and I am here with my laptop. I am not afraid of death any longe=
r though. Like I told you earlier, my husbands business and mine really=
thrived when I was healthy and He been alive. We really worked hard fo=
r the sake of our children. As my health detracted, my extended family =
members swooped down on everything my husband and I worked hard to earn=
=20

Seeing that there are no offspring(s) to inherit it coupled with the fa=
ct that I am dying. They never really liked me anyway but my husband st=
ood by me all those years. This is my plea; I made most of my money thr=
ough exporting vintage wines to African countries like South Africa, Be=
nin Republic and Nigeria.

I had to sell all my inherited belongings and deposited all the sum of =
$7.5Million dollars with a security company. Presently, this money is s=
till kept with the security company and the managements just wrote me t=
o come forward to pick up my deposit, that it has over stayed the perio=
d of time I entered that I would come over to claim it back. Or issue a=
letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf since I=
cannot come over because my illness or they get it confiscated.
It is my last wish to see that this money is invested to any organizati=
on of your choice and distributed each year among the charity organizat=
ion, the poor and the motherless baby=92s home where i come from. I wan=
t you as a God fearing person, to also use this money to fund churches,=
orphanages and widows; I took this decision, before i rest in peace be=
cause my time will soon be up.
As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the
Security Company.

I will also issue you a letter of authority that will prove you as the
new beneficiary of my fund. Please assure me that you will act accordin=
gly as I stated herein.=20

Waiting for your reply.
Yours in Christ,=20
Mrs. Elizabeth Franklin=20
N:B Pls reply me through my alternative email address:
{mrselizabethfranklin@latinmail.com}

La carrera hacia la Casa Blanca, a un click de distancia http://www.sta=
rmedia.com/noticias/especiales/gobiernousa.html

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam