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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million us 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)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.

Fraud email example:

From: "WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER" <dompatrick01@fastwebmail.it>
Reply-To: professorjonesk@yahoo.fr
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:26:55 -0700
Subject: I am Professor Jones Kofi, Western Union Branch Manager Benin/Togo


*FROM THE DESK OF MANAGER
WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER
W.U.M.T/BENIN/TOGO BRANCH.*

*Attention:*

*I am Professor Jones Kofi, Western Union Branch Manager Benin/Togo i live
in West Africa, i am a citizen of Ghana.*

*I am contacting you in respect of your funds in the Western Union. A Man
called Mr. Paul Came to the Western Union to send you some money, which
amount to $1.2 million US dollars, but financial task force for money
laundary arrested him. But after going through investigation we
find out that you are the rightful beneficiary to the fund in our system.*

*I am contacting you on how you want us to send this money to you because
this money is coursing our network to be slow, so the Authority of Western
Union Benin/Togo have instruct our bank to transfer all fund in our system
to there rightful beneficiary before the end of this month. So what the
Authority of Western Union Money Transfer Benin/Togo need from you now is to
send you this money bit by bit are:*

*First page of your International passport Five Names in which you Money
will be send to bit by bit every two(2) days We need a short note from your
side as the rightful beneficiary to the fund for the Ministry of Finance to
stamp your transfer slip to confirm that WUMT is transfering the money to
the rightful owner.*

*Please send to us your personal mobile number so that we can discussed on
phone for mutual understanding.*

*NOTE: We can not send you the money at once,we can only be able to send you
$4000 US dollar bit by bit until we finish sending you the whole money
Waiting for all this information for the immediate release of five MTCN of
$4000 each to the five names you will send*

*Best Regars,*

*Professor Jones Kofi
W.U.M.T/Benin/togo*

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam