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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "the consignment" (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)
  • "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• This email message is a "dying widow" scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: "Madu Mrs Augusta" <uponmountzion@mailbox.hu>
Reply-To: uponmountzion004@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2008 01:59:30 -0700
Subject: Dear Beloved friend


Dear Beloved friend

Greetings in the name of Lord Jesus Christ, I am former Alhaja Fatima Madu,
now Mrs. Augusta Madu a widow to late Alhaji Sheik Madu, I am 51 years old
and now a new Christian convert, suffering from long time cancer of the
breast. From all indications my condition is really deteriorating and it s
quite obvious that I may not live long according to my doctors, this is
because the cancer stage has gotten to a very bad stage.

My late husband late Alhaji Sheik Madu, was killed dring the USA raid
against terrorism in Afghanistan, and during the period of our marriage
couldn't produce any child. My late husband was very wealthy, who made his
money from the Afghanistancs government, hence I inherited all
hisbusiness and wealth after his death, the doctor has advised me that I
may not live for more that six months, so I now decide to divide this wealth
in order to ontribute to the development of the churches in
Africa,America,Asia and Europe and for humanity in general.

I selected you after visiting the website and i prayed over it, so I am
willing to donate the sum of $10 illion US Dollar to you on behalf of your
organization to help in reaching the the less privileged and the dvelopment
of the gospel of our lord Jesus Christ, since I am very sick
to handle my dream on my own.

I want you to know that this fund is in presently in Security Company in
Switzerland, where my late husband deposited it as a family treasure,because
the security company never knows that the content in the deposited
consignment is money as they are not allowed to keep money for
clients.So and upon your reply I will instruct my attorney barrister
Michael Gill Holonis, who presently is in West Africa distributing relief
materials to victims of bomb blast in Sierra-Leone, to file in an
application of withdrawal and for a change of names on the consignment to
your favor.

I honestly pray that this money/donation when transferred to you on behalf
of your organization will be used for the said purpose and properly
too,because I have come to find out that wealth acquisition without Christ
is vanity.

Please note that until this donation/consignment is signed and transferred
into your account, I will trongly insist that this transaction most be keep
a top secret.

All my plans is invest this donation for developing the of our God Words and
to take care of the less previleged. So I will want you to also use this
Donation according to my plans. Presently I am writing this letter from a
Hospital where I have beeN taken my treatment, which is why
I handed over every thing concerning this Donation to my Attorney, since he
has been my family Lawyer for 18years now.

Meanwhile to process the documents that will be used to withdrawn this
consignment from the Security Company I will need some vita informationabout
you on behalf of your organization so that I will forward it to my Attorney
immediately,so pleaseconfirm this items as below.

1,your full name
2,your mailing address
3,your telephone and fax numbers.

that some necessary changes will be made on the documents to enable you
have claim to the Consignment/Donation.

May the grace of our lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship
of god be with you and your family as I wait your gentle and kind response
to this mail.

Expecting to hear from you as soon as possible.
God bless you and your family.
Mrs. Augusta Madu

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam