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 phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "hundred thousand u.s 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)
  • ",500,000" (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)
  • "with absolute secrecy" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "i have a new email address!" (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
  • "central bank of nigeria" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • joe_coker7002@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Joseph Coker <joe_coker7002@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: joe_coker70@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2009 05:44:41 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Dear Sir/Madam.


I have a new email address!You can now email me at: joe_coker7002@yahoo.com



- Dear Sir/Madam, I apologize if the contents here under are contrary to your moral ethics. But please treat with absolute secrecy and personal. My name is Joseph Coker. I work with a commercial bank here in Nigeria and an Account Officer to an expatriate oil worker. We lost this customer and his family in an autocrash here in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria trying to escape militants and his account valued at US$10,500,000.00 (Ten Million five hundred thousand U.S Dollars)with us has been dormant and unclaimed due to unavailability of a next of kin/relatives to claim his estate, since his son whom he used as his next of kin died in the same auto crash with him. In accordance with the eschew law and the recent Bank consolidation here in Nigeria, the Apex Bank(Central Bank Of Nigeria) had given directives to Banks to turn all unclaimed funds into Government coffers. To this end, the Board Of Directors of my Bank met a forth night ago and resolved to turn including the estat!
e of my deceased customer over to the Government having waited for so long without the deceased relatives/next of kin making claims and if this is done, invariably the funds will end up becoming Government owned and it is as a result of this that I am moved to contact you. I am therefore seeking for your co-operation and understanding to stand as the deceased next of kin to enable us claim the inheritance before the time period given by the Bank elapses. If you are interested and in agreement with me,please write back immediately to me and be rest assured that it is a risk free project and the proceedings will be shared accordingly once the funds are repatriated into your account either in the US Or elsewhere.If however, you are not disposed to assist, kindly destroy this letter in view of the confidentiality of the proposed transaction. I wait for your prompt response. Regards, Joseph Coker.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam