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:
  • "money laundering" ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
  • "affidavit " (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "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.
  • +447011121415 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +448704714088 (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.
  • e_courierdept@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Phill Williams <pl.will@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:29:45 +0000
Subject: Microsoft Award Promotion







Microsoft Promotion20 Craven Park , HarlesdenLondon NW10United Kingdom

Tel: +44 701 112 1415
Fax: +44 870 471 4088

Ref: BTD/968/07Batch: 409978E

Dear Winner,


I am Mr. Phill Williams, I have been assigned by Microsoft Promotion to process your payment file. I wish to congratulate you on your winnings. The winning information presented by you has been verified and i must say that you should count yourself extremely lucky to have emerged as one of our winners in this years lucky dip sweepstakes. As you already know your email address was randomly selected along with others from over 100,000 websites on the internet. Each email address was attached to a ticket number.

Your email address was selected along with Ten others as winners. A certificate of prize claims and some vital documents will be sent along side your winnings cheque. The documents to be sent are;

winning cheque (Cashier's cheque), original copy of your winning certificate and Money Laundering protection/Letter of Affidavit for Claims. Your prize will be remitted in a cashier's Cheque (check)

Contact our delivery department with the contact information below for further instructions on how to send the package to your location.

Please you should also send a Personal Information to the Courier Department to authenticate your lottery winnings

1, Reference Number2, Batch Number3, Full Names4, A medium of identification, that is either a copy of drivers license or international passport or any other legal means of identification.5, Mailing Address, that is a physical address where you want your parcel delivered.6, Amount Won.7, Contact Phone Numbers.

Below is the name of the Courier Company you are to forward your data to:


DELIVERY DEPARTMENT.

ecourier Delivery Company.
London - UKTel: +44 701 113 0994Fax: +44 870 471 4089
Email: e_courierdept@yahoo.co.uk

Contact person:Mr. Kelvin SmithDirector of Overnight & International DeliveryeCouriers Delivery

I will require a concise update on proceedings with the firm as soon as you are in contact with them. If you need any assistance whatsoever, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Regards,

Mr. Phill Williams
Dispatch Officer
Microsoft Promotion

Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and contains confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
© 2007 Microsoft MSN Corporation. All rights reserved.
_________________________________________________________________
Find a local pizza place, movie theater, and more….then map the best route!
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&ss=yp.bars~yp.pizza~yp.movie%20theater&cp=42.358996~-71.056691&style=r&lvl=13&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=950607&encType=1&FORM=MGAC01

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam