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:

• This email message is a "dying widow" scam.

Fraud email example:

From: Mrs.Regina Ahmed <ahmedregina@netscape.net>
Date: Thu, 6 Oct 2005 14:18:26 +0200
Subject: AN ACT OF FATE

Greetings,
My name is Mrs. Regina Ahmed, widow to late
Mr.Hassan Ahmed former owner of Petroleum
And Gas Company, here in Kuwait. I am 68
years old, suffering from long time cancer of
the breast. From all indications my condition
is really deteriorating and it's quite obvious that
I won’t live more than 2 months according to my
doctors. This is because the cancer stage has
gotten to a very bad stage. I don’t want your
pity but i need your trust.

My late husband died early last year from heart
attack, and during the period of our marriage we
couldn't produce any child. My late husband was
very wealthy and after his death, I inherited all
his businesses and wealth. The doctor has advised
me that I will not live for more than 2 months,
so I have now decided to spread all my wealth,
to contribute mainly to the development of
charity in Africa, America, Asia and Europe.
I am sorry if you are embarrassed by my mail.
I found your e-mail address in the web
directory, and i have decided to contact you,
but if for any reason you find this mail
offensive, you can ignore it and please
accept my apology.

Before my late husband died he was major oil
tycoon, in Kuwait and deposited the sum of 25
million dollars (Twenty Five million dollars)
in a company in Europe some years ago, that’s all
i have left now, I need you to collect this funds
and distribute it yourself to charity so that when i
die my soul can rest in peace. The funds will be
entirely in your hands and management. I hope
God gives you the wisdom to touch very many
lives, which is my main concern. 20% of this
money will be for your time and effort, while
80% goes to charity.

God bless you.
Regina Ahmed.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam