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:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "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)
• This email message is a fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
  
  1. They don't notify winners by email.
  2. You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
  3. They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
  4. They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
  5. They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
  6. They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
  7. They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +447045727228 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "British International Lottery" <british_lottery107@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:46:20 GMT
Subject: YOUR WINNINGS


BRITISH INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY INC.
5th Floor East
Commonwealth Centre
55 Currie Street London L70 1NL.
United Kingdom.
Ref: BTD/968/07/KC
Batch: 509878E/KC

Dear Winner,
WINNING NOTIFICATION

YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED THE SUM OF =C2=A3 500,000.00 GBP (Five Hundred =
Thousand Great Britain Pounds Sterling)in our end of year the =
Anniversary Draws.Your email address as indicated was drawn and attached =
to ticket number 008795727498 with serial numbers BTD/9080648302/07 and =
drew the lucky numbers 14-21-25-39-40-47(20) which subsequently won =
you =C2=A3500,000.00 GBP (Five Hundred Thousand Great Britain Pounds =
Sterling)as one of the 5 jackpot winners in this draw.

To file for your claim is free of charge=21=21=21=21

Please Contact your fiduciary agent=20
Dr. Garry Lee
British International Lottery
Email:british_lottery107=40yahoo.com
Phone:+447045727228

You are advised to contact your fiduciary agent with the following details =
to avoid unnecessary delays and complications: =20
Your Full Names:=20
Your Phone Number:=20
Country:=20
Occupation:=20
Age:=20
Sex:=20
Ticket Numbers:=20
Batch Number:
=20
we advice all winners to keep this information confidential from the =
public until your claim is processed and your prize released to you.This =
is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted =
taking advantage of this programme by non participant or unofficial =
personnel. Congratulations, once more from the entire Management and Staff =
of BRITISH INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY Cooperation to all our lucky winners. =
Thank you for being part of this promotional lottery program.
Yours Sincerely,

Carol David
BREACH OF CONFIDENTIALITY ON THE PART OF THE WINNERS WILL RESULT TO =
DISQUALIFICATION.
THANKS:
MANAGEMENT, BRITISH LOTTERY INC.=20

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam