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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "el gordo " (can only win this lottery if you bought a ticket)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "foreign service manager" (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)
  • "u.k " (this email uses bad English)
• 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 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.
  • karen_m@inbox.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "karen maguire" <karen.maguirek.maguire77@googlemail.com>
Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:39:30 +0000
Subject: CONGRATULATION!!.


EL GORDO U.K SWEEPSTAKES LOTTERY,
LONDON U.K,
SW1,
THE UNITED KINGDOM.

FROM: THE DESK OF THE PROMOTIONS MANAGER,
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS / PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT,
REF: EGS/2551256003/03
BATCH: 14/0017/IPD
ATTENTION: RE / AWARD NOTIFICATION.
We are pleased to inform you of the announcement today, 29 DECEMBER 2008, of
winners of the EL GORDO U.K SWEEPSTAKE LOTTERY / INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
held on 21ST DECEMBER 2008.
Your company, attached to ticket number 025-1146-1992-750, with serial
number 2113-05 drew the lucky numbers 13-15-22-37-39-43, and consequently
won the lottery in the 3rd category.
You have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of US$1,200,000.00
in cash credited to file REF NO. EGS/2551256003/03. This is from total prize
money of US$20,400,000.00 shared among the seventeen international winners
in this category.
All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn form
25,000 names from Australia, New Zealand, America, Europe and North America
as part of our International Promotions Program, which is conducted
annually.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Your fund is now deposited with a Finance and Security House insured in your
name. Due to the mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep this
award strictly from public notice until your claim has been processed and
your money remitted to your account. This is part of our security protocol
to avoid double claiming or unscrupulous acts by participants of this
program.
We hope with a part of your prize, you will participate in our new year high
stakes US$1.3 billion International Lottery.
To begin your claim, please contact your claim agent;
KAREN MAGUIRE, FOREIGN SERVICE MANAGER,
GLOBAL CROSSING,
LONDON ,UNITED KINGDOM.
TEL:01258970628
FAX:01258738653
EMAIL: karen_m@inbox.com
For due processing and remittance of your prize money to a designated
account of your choice.
Remember, all prize money must be claimed not later than 15TH JANUARY 2009.
After this date, all funds will be returned as unclaimed.
NOTE: In order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please
remember to quote your reference and batch numbers in every one of your
correspondences with your agent. Furthermore, should there be any change of
your address, do inform your claims agent as soon as possible.
Congratulations again from all our staff and thank you for being part of our
promotions program.
Sincerely,
THE PROMOTIONS MANAGER,
EL GORDO UNITED KINGDOM SWEEPSTAKES LOTTERY.
N.B. Any breach of confidentiality on the part of the winners will result to
disqualification.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam