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:
  • ",000,000" (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)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • +447024051941 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: administrator <info@mymaildesk.com>
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:39:38 -0400
Subject: PLEASE REPLY URGENTLY


Richard Cousins (Mr)
Chartered Accountant,
Halifax Bank of Scotland
Tel: +44 702 405 1941


Compliment of day,

I wish to contact you personally for a business transaction of GBP £10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Great British Pounds) hopefully that you will respond positively to this offer. I am seeking for a reliable, honest and capable person who will be able to handle this transaction hence I am contacting you, and I believe that you will never turn down my request.

I am Richard Cousins, a Chartered accountant with Halifax Bank of Scotland and Chief Executive Officer of Compass Group Plc and Non-executive director Bank of Scotland. With your sincere assistant and co-operation, we can finalize this transaction, and be rest assured that this deal is worth taking and highly profitable.

At this moment, I will not issue the details of this transaction until your positive response is granted. For further correspondence regarding this business proposal, send your response to me for more details or ring me on Tel: Tel: +44 702 405 1941 for further discussion on this.

Thanks for your attention.

Sincerely yours,
Richard Cousins (Mr)
Chartered Accountant,
Halifax Bank of Scotland
Tel: +44 702 405 1941
Email: richardcousins@live.com 

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam