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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million us 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)
  • "can i trust you?" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "there is no risk involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "mbolton@terra.es" <mbolton@terra.es>
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 05:42:20 +0200 (MEST)
Subject: GOOD DAY



GOOD DAY


FROM: SGT. MICHAEL BOLTON

Third (3rd) infantry Division US Military
Iraq


Dear Friend

My name is Sgt.Michael Bolton. I am an American soldier, serving in the military with the Third (3rd) infantry Division in Iraq. I and my superior after going on a rampage on Saddam Hussein's palace in Baghdad discovered a substantial amount of money. You may need to check out the following BBC website to confirm more about our discovery which was made known to the government, but this particular one is a top secret:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm

This funds in question was moved to a secure place with the assistance of our contact person in UK (A private attorney to our UK military colleague); the total is $25,000,000.00 (Twenty Five million US dollars). Basically since we are working for the government we cannot keep these funds in our bank account. Based on this, we decided to seek your assistance to keep this money for us in your account or an offshore account controlled by you.

There is no risk involved whatsoever. If you are interested I will send you the full details, my job is to find a good partner that we can trust and that will assist us. Can I trust you? To ensure confidentiality, when you receive this letter, kindly reply me via e-mail signifying your interest including your confidential telephone/fax numbers for quick communication and also your contact details for identification

Respectfully Yours,

Sgt.Michael Bolton






Prueba el Nuevo Correo Terra; Seguro, r&aacute;pido, fiable.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam