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:
  • "million united states 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)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • lucas_01@sify.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Donald Lucas" <donald_lucas25@msn.com>
Reply-To: donlucas06@yahoo.com
Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2006 11:40:59 +0000
Subject: Fund transfer

Greetings,

I am Mr. Donald Lucas the Auditor General of a Prime bank in Africa.
There Is an Account opened in my bank in 1980 and since 1990 no body has
Operated on this account again. After going through some old file in
the records I discovered that if I do not remit this money out urgently
it would be forfeited for nothing. The owner of this account is
Dr.Phillip Morris , a Foreigner and a miner at Mount resources ltd., a
geologist by
Profession. He died since 1990. And no other person knows about this
account or anything concerning it. The account has no other beneficiary and
my Investigation Proved to me as well that his company does not know
anything about his Account and the amount involved is USD 36m) Thirty Six
Million United States Dollars.

I am only contacting you as a foreigner because the bank is going to
welcome you as a foreigner that has correct information about the
account, which I will give to you before we proceed. I need your full
co-operation
to make this work fine. If you are Capable to handle such amount in strict
confidence and trust we will achieve this money immediately, I will also use
my
Position to Influence and affect legal approvals and immediate onward
transfer
of this Money to Your account with appropriate clearance from the ministries
and Foreign Exchange department. As soon as the transfer is concluded, you
are
entitled to 25% of the total fund.

I look forward to your earliest reply through my private email
lucas_01@sify.com

Sincerely Yours,
Mr. Donald Lucas

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam