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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "trunk box" (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)
  • "trunk boxes" (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)
  • ",500,000" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
  • "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "confidential business" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "utmost confidentiality" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "very confidential" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "observe utmost confidentiality" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "does not know the contents of the box" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • ds_smith_perj@yahoo.co.jp (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: <ds_smith_perj1@yahoo.co.jp>
Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 17:54:05 +0900 (JST)
Subject: Dear Friend

Direct and private fax number + 44-704-573-9304
Dear Friend ,

I am Mr. D.S. Smith , deputy senior regional manager at a
Commercial and Finance Bank in Yorkshire. I have urgent and very
confidential business proposition for you. On June 6, 2000, Mr. Kelly Benjamin made a numbered time (Fixed) Deposit for forty-eight months, (being four years) valued at US$16,500,000.00, (Sixteen Million,Five Hundred Thousand Dollars) in my branch.

Upon maturity, I sent a routine notification to his forwarding address
but got no reply. After a month, we sent a reminder and finally we
discovered from his employers, that Mr. Kelly Benjamin died from tsunami on his holidays in Thailand 26 December 2004. On further investigation, I found out that he died without making a WILL and all attempts to trace his next of kin was fruitless.

I therefore made further investigation and discovered that Mr.Kelly Benjamin did not declare any kin or relations in all his official documents, including his Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank. This sum of US$16,500,000 has carefully been moved out of my bank to a security company for
Safekeeping .No one will ever come forward to claim it. According to British Law, at the expiration of (three) years, the money will revert to the ownership of the British Government if nobody applies to claim the fund.

Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you to stand in as the
owner of the money I deposited it in a security company in two trunk
boxes though the security company does not know the contents of the boxes as I tagged them to be photographic materials for export. I am writing you because I as a public servant (Manager with the bank), I cannot operate a foreign account or have an account that is more than $1m.

I want to present you as the owner of the boxes in the security company
so you can be able to claim them with the help of my attorney. This is
simple. I will like you to provide immediately your full names and
address so that the Attorney will prepare the necessary documents which will put you in place as the as the owner of the boxes.

The money will be moved out for us to share in the ratio of 70% for me
and 30% for you. There is no risk at all as all the paperwork for this
transaction will be done by the Attorney and this will guarantees the
successful execution of this transaction.

If you are interested, please reply immediately via my email address
upon your response, I shall then provide you with more details and
relevant documents that will help you understand the transaction.
Please observe utmost confidentiality, and rest assured that this
transaction would be most profitable for both of us because I shall
require your assistance to invest my share in (Buying of properties
like houses, hotels and doing charity works etc)

Please do send me your private/mobile telephone fax number so that we
can have a smooth communication.

Awaiting your urgent reply ONLY via my email (ds_smith_perj@yahoo.co.jp)
Thanks and regards.
D.S SMITH



---------------------------------
Power up the Internet with Yahoo! Toolbar.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam