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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
  • "there are practically no risks involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "international remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "zambli_otumba Gazeta.pl" <zambli_otumba@gazeta.pl>
Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2008 17:09:52 +0100
Subject: personal


FROM: Mr.ZAMBLI OTUMBA.
Of BARCLAYS BANK OF GHANA
TAMALE BRANCH.

Dear Friend,

My name is Mr. ZAMBLI OTUMBA.I am the auditor of Barclays Bank of Ghana
Tamale branch in the Northern region of Ghana. I got your contact when I was
searching for an overseas partner to assist me through banker's seminar held
recently in Madrid the capital city of Spain.

I have packaged a financial transaction that will benefit you and I,as the
regional manager of the
Barclays Bank it is my duty to send in a financial report to my head office
in the capital city Accra at the end of each business year. On the course of
the last two years 2007 business report, I discovered that my branch in
which I am the manager made Five million three hundred and seventy thousand
united state dollars ($5,370,000.00) which my head office are not aware of
and will never be aware of.I have placed this funds in what we call ESCROW
CALL ACCOUNT with no beneficiary.

As the auditor of this bank I cannot be directly connected to this money, so
my aim of
contacting you is to assist me receive this money in your bank account and
get 35% of the total funds as commission.

There are practically no risks involved, it will be a bank-to-bank
transfer,and all I need from you is to stand as the original depositor of
these funds who made the deposit with my branch so that my head office
International Remittance Department can order the transfer to your
designated bank account.

I will be very appreciative if you can return to me with urgent dispatch to
enable me advise you on the modalities.

I await to receive your immediate response.

Regards,
Mr.Zambli otumba.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam