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 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)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned 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.
  • santoliya@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "santos oliya" <oliya_santos@msn.com>
Reply-To: oliya_santos1@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 00:38:15 +0000
Subject: Can You Assist?

Dear sir/madam,

I am Santos Oliya, personal attorney to Mr Patrick Uma, an expartriate who
used to work with Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), here in Nigeria. On the
2nd of January 2005, I recieved a call that my client died in the Tsunami
Disaster with his wife and two kids while on vacation at Phuket Island in
Thailand. Since then I have made several enquiries to locate any of my
client's extended relatives. This has proved unsuccessful.

I have contacted you to assist in repartriating the money left behind by my
client before it gets confiscated or declared unserviceable by the bank
where this deposit is lodged. Particularly, the bank where the deceased had
an account valued at US$7,500,000.00 (Seven Million, Five Hundred Thousand
United States Dollars).

The bank has issued me a notice to provide the next-of-kin or have the
account confiscated. Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the
biological relatives of my late client, I hereby seek your consent to
present you to the bank as next-of-kin of the deceased since you are a
foreigner, so that the proceeds of this account valued at US$7.5M can be
transfered to you as inheritance and thereafter, you and me can share the
money; 50% to me and 45% to you, while 5% will be donated to the Tsunami
Disaster Charity Fund.

I have original copy of Certificate of Deposit of the funds, which will be
used to substantiate our inherittance claims. All I require is your consent
and honest co-operation to enable us see the deal through. Furthermore, I
guarantee that the transaction will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. Please contact
me via email to enable us discuss further.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

William Okoye,
Principal,
William Okoye & Associates,
Lagos, Nigeria.
Alternate Email: <santoliya@yahoo.co.uk>

_________________________________________________________________
FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar – get it now!
http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam