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:
  • "inheritance funds" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "economic and financial crime commission" (This name is often mentioned in money recovery scams (re-scam): the real EFCC does not contact victims to offer to get their money back because that is near impossible. )
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "FEDERAL MINISTRY OF FINANCE." <zm920wynio@testzimbra.com>
Reply-To: "fmfinance001@live.com" <fmfinance001@live.com>
Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 04:56:03 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: PLEASE CONFIRM RECEIPT TODAY, THANKS.


FEDERAL MINISTRY OF FINANCE.
FEDERAL OFFICE COMPLEX,
BLOCK 3, 5TH TO 7TH FLOOR.
PLOT 25, PALM AVENUE,
GARKI-ABUJA.
NIGERIA.

ATTENTION;-To All Foreign Beneficiaries.
Sir/Madam,
Following series of petitions received by the Government of Nigeria from foreign beneficiaries over non-paymets, delay payments and divert payments of their claim funds by our Apex Bank-(CBN) and other private banks in the country-(NIGERIA).
We wish to inform you that the Federal Government of Nigeria has mandated the Finance Ministry to take-over, handle and make payments to all Foreign Beneficiaries of their unpaid Contact and Inheritance funds.
Based on the above, you are therefore required to reconfirm to us immediately your claim's information. These are the Nature of Claim-(INHERTANCE OR CONTRACT) and the Amount involved. Equally, it is expected of you to reconfirm also to us, your detailed information which includes;- Your Names, Contact Address and Current Telephone Number.
Please note that these requested details concerning your claim funds will be of a great assistance to this office. And for the interest of your your payment, you are hereby advised to stop all further communications with any person/persons or officer/banks as the case may be..
It might interest you to know that the Fedreal Government of Nigeria has directed 'Economic and Financial Crime Commission-(EFCC) to investigate all the Officers in our Apex Bank and all the other Private Banks in the Nigeria in regards to the above concerned.
Finally, on behalf of Fedral Government of Nigeria, we sincerely apologize for the delay payments and regret any inconveniences it may have caused you.
We awaits for your urgent reply with the requested details.
Thank you.
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. Sandra Imo.
Personnal Assistant to the Director,(FMF).

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam