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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "huge deposit" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "barr." (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • christopheredu@hotmail.com
  • christopheredu@hotmail.com

Fraud email example:

From: "christopher edu" <christo_edu1@msn.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 09:44:24 +0000
Subject: THE DIRECTOR ONLY (LETS TALK ON THIS ISSUE)

FROM THE DESK OF;
BARR.CHRISTOPHER EDU
CHRISTOPHEREDU & ASSOCIATE
APAPA -LAGOS
REPLY TO:-Email:christopheredu@hotmail.com

Dear Friend

I am Barrister, Christopher Edu a legal Practioner. I was the Personal
Attorney and legal adviser to Egnr. Edward Collier, a national of your
country, who used to work with Shell Petroleum corporation Plc.

On the 21st of August 2000, my client, his wife and their only daughter were
involved in a car accident along Shagamu Express Road.

All occupants of the vehicle unfortunately lost their lives. Since then I
have made several enquiries to your embassy to locate any of my client's
extended relatives and this has also proved unsuccessful. After these
unsuccessful attempts,I decided to trace his relatives over the years, but
to no avail,hence I decided contacted you for help.

I have contacted you to assist in repatriating the money and property left
behind by my client before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by
the Bank where these huge deposits was lodged.

Particularly, the Bank where the deceased had a deposit valued at about
Eleven million Five Huindred Thousand Dollars(USD11,500,000,00, has issued
me a notice to provide the next of kin to my late client or have the account
frozen and the fund forefeited to the government treasury by the end of this
financial year.

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over four years
now,I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to the
deceased,since you are of the same Nationality with my client so that the
proceeds of his account valued at USD11,500,000,00 can be paid to you for
some good reason i will disclose to you later.

This sum of US$11,500,000.00 is still sitting in this Bank and the interest
is being rolled over with the principal sum at the end of each year.not to
talk of his valuable properties left behind inwhich most has been stolen in
the cause of trying to trace any member of his family or relations,up till
now No one has ever come forward for this claim.according to the Laws of my
country governing any financial institution, at the expiration of 5 (five
years, the money will revert to the ownership of the Government if nobody
applies to claim the fund.

I plead your assistance in this regard to come fort in the position of the
next of kin to the late Edward if you will be honest and will be trusted to
this matter, we can prepare the necessary documents and affidavits of claim
in your favour that will put you in place as the bonafide next of kin to the
deceased but we shall reach an agreement.

Note that i have put all the mechineries to facilitate the processing of
this claim into any account nominated in place, and with your full
co-operation and trust we can work together to get the claim transfered
without any delay or the draft issued on your name.

Note that part of this money will be donated to charity home and other less
priviledge, has i have vowed to God at the end of this transaction.

I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that
will protect you from any breach of the law.

Upon your response, I shall then provide you with more details and relevant
documents of his deposite before his death that will help you understand the
transaction better and put you as the rightfull benficiary,please send your
response to my direct and private email addresss only as stated here
(christopheredu@hotmail.com) for confidential reasons or call me for brief
discussion.

I await to hear from you soonest

Kindest Regards

Christopher Edu

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam