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:
  • "hundred thousand american 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)
  • "you will take 25%" (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)
  • "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • mrs_shareef@sify.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Aicha Shareef" <mrs_shareef1@gala.net>
Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2008 01:04:42 -0800
Subject: Good day to you.


My Dear,

I crave your indulgence at this mail coming from somebody you have not known
before. I decided to do this after praying over the situation. You should
please consider the transaction on its content and not the fact that you
have not known me before. I need not dwell on how I came by your contact
information because there are many such possibilities these days.

My name is Mrs. Aicha Shareef, of Republic of Benin, widow to Late Mr.
Hashim Shareef (former Consular of the Benin embassy in Madrid,Spain. I have
been recently been diagnosed of Cancer of the pelvis. I am writing from my
sick bed.

There is this USD$17.2M (Seventeen Million Two Hundred Thousand American
Dollars) my husband has in an account with the Africa Development Bank Benin
Republic of which I am the next of kin. With my health condition and because
my husband and I have no children, I am looking for a credible person to
whom I will pass the right of next of kin. This person will apply to the
bank and request for the transfer of the fund to his/her bank account. This
is on the condition that you will take 25% of the fund for yourself, 5% used
for expenses, while you will use the remaining 70% for the less privilege
people in the society. This is in fulfilment of the last request of my
husband that a substantial part of the fund be used to carter for the less
privileged.

I cannot do this my self any more. I once asked members of my family to
close one of my late husband bank accounts and donate the money which I have
there to the less privilege people in the society; they refused and kept the
money to themselves. Hence, I do not trust them anymore, as they seems not
to be contended with what I have left for them. If this condition is
acceptable to you, you should contact me immediately with your full names
and contact information so that I will ask our family lawyer to prepare the
authorization that will give you the right of next of kin to the account in
the bank. I will also give you a text of the application you are to send to
the bank.

I cannot predict what will be my fate by the time the fund will be
transferred into your account, but you should please ensure that the fund is
used as I have described above and please reply directly to this my private
Email Address mrs_shareef@sify.com.

Best regards to you and your family,

Mrs. Aicha Shareef.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam