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:
  • "huge deposit" (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)
  • "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)
  • "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "henry komba" <henrykomba10@vmail.co.il>
Reply-To: henrykomba1@myway.com
Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:53:26 +0200
Subject: From: Mr. Henry Komba


From: Mr. Henry Komba
Tel: +22504578712


I send my greeting to you and your family, My name is Mr.Henry Komba an
accountant with a bank here in Abidjan. I am the personal accounts manager
to the late Eng. Anthony ,a National of your country, who work with an oil
servicing company here in Cote D' Ivoire.


My client, his wife, and their three children were involved in the ill fated
Kenya Airways crash in the coasts of Abidjan in January 2000 in which all
passengers on board died. Since then I have made several inquiries to your
embassy to locate any of my clients extended relatives but has been
unsuccessful.

After several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his last name over
the internet, to see if I could locate any member of his family hence I
contacted you. For an interest is this huge deposit with our bank here in as
a beneficiary to the deceased. I like to inform you that the deceased has an
account valued over ($16 million US dollars). A notice has been issued to
provide the next of kin or the bank will declare the account unserviceable
and thereby send the funds to the bank treasury.Since I have been
unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over last 2 years now, I will
seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased since
you have the same last names, so that the proceeds of this account valued at
($16million US dollars) can be paid to you and then you and I can share the
money.

All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us see this deal
through. I guarantee that this will be executed under all legitimate
arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. In your reply
mail, I want you to give me your full names, address, date of birth,
telephone and fax numbers. If you can handle this with me, contact me
immediately with the requested information. I Expect to hear from you.

Yours Sincerely,
Henry Komba.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam