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:
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - that's what the scam is about)
  • "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)
  • "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • ha_alfarouk@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: ha_alfarouk@zipmail.com.br
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2006 04:20:13 +0200
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?My=20Regards?=

Greetings,

Please I know that this mail may come to you as surprise as we haven't met
or known each other but after going through your profile i believe that
you are a nice person and capable of assisting me. I write to solicit for
your urgent and kind assistance.

I am a Sierra Leonean, 23 yrs old and only son of late DR USMAN ALFAROUK.
Until his death, he was the Regional Manager of the Diamond Mine in Kanema,
Sierra Leone. My Mum died earlier on a plane crash. On April 6th, 2000 the
military forces loyal to the government of TIJAN KABBAH invaded the diamond
mine and assassinated him, mistaking him for his brother, MR AHMED ALFAROUK
who was the deputy to the leader of the Revolutionary

United Front (RUF) MR FODAY SANKOH. When the news reached our house, I hurriedly
gathered some valuables in our family home and escaped to a West African
country. Among the valuables was a file that contains details of Four Million
Five Hundred
Thousand United States Dollars (US$4.5 Million) deposit made in a Security
Company in Abidjan, Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) by my late Father. The money
was concealed in a box as family valuables.

Now that I am in Abidjan and have verified the deposit, I need your assistance
to help me retrieve the deposit from the Security Company as my Father's
foreign partner and my Guardian. Once the deposit is safely retrieved to
your country you will help me to leave this country to meet you for proper
investment and to continue my education. Please I am willing to offer you
some percentage of the total sum for your kind assistance.

Thanks and God bless you while looking forward to hearing from you through
my email ha_alfarouk@yahoo.fr

Harry.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam