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:
  • "atm payment department" (this phrase is often used in the ATM card payment scam)
  • "swift card payment center" (this phrase is often used in the ATM card payment scam)
  • "card center will send you an atm card" (this phrase is often used in the ATM card payment scam)
  • "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)
  • ",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)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • +22993908735 (Benin, probably a 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.
  • apexbnkbenin@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: denis_williams@freenet.de
Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:22:12 +0200
Subject: NOTIFICATION OF YOUR ATM CARD PAYMENT


NOTIFICATION OF YOUR ATM CARD PAYMENT ATTENTION NOW WE HAVE ARRANGED
YOUR PAYMENT OF ($2,000,000.00)TWO MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS THROUGH
SWIFT CARD PAYMENT CENTER ASIA PACIFIC, THIS CARD CENTER WILL SEND YOU
AN ATM CARD WHICH YOU WILL USE TO WITHDRAW YOUR MONEY IN ANY ATM MACHINE
IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD, BUT THE MAXIMUM IS TWO THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED
UNITED STATES DOLLARS PER DAY . SO IF YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE YOUR FUND IN
THIS WAY,PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY CONTACTING APEX BANK PLC. ATM PAYMENT
DEPARTMENT AND ALSO SEND THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION AS LISTED BELOW.
1.FULL NAME
2.ADDRESS WERE YOU WANT THEM TO SEND THE ATM CARD
3.PHONE
AND FAX NUMBER
4.YOUR AGE AND CURRENT OCCUPATION
5.ATTACH COPY OF YOUR
IDENTIFICATION HOWEVER, KINDLY CONTACT THE BELOW PERSON WHO IS IN
POSSITION TO RELEASE YOUR ATM PAYMENT CARD. APEX BANK ATM PAYMENT
DEPARTMENT ATTN; MR ALFRED UDOMI, DIRECTOR.
APEX BANK PLC.TEL/ +229 93
90 87 35/97751615
EMAIL: apexbnkbenin@gmail.com

THE ATM CARD PAYMENT
CENTER HAS BEEN MANDATED TO ISSUE OUT YOUR PAYMENT AND YOU HAVE TO STOP
ANY FURTHER COMMINUCATION WITH ANY OTHER PERSON(S) OR OFFICE(s) TO AVOID
ANY HITCHES IN RECEIVING YOUR PAYMENT. NOTE THAT BECAUSE OF IMPOSTORS,
WE HEREBY ISSUED YOU THE CODE OF CONDUCT, WHICH IS (ATM-0411) SO YOU
HAVE TO INDICATE THIS CODE WHEN CONTACTING THE CARD CENTER BY USING IT
AS YOUR SUBJECT. REGARDS,
Denis Williams

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam