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)
  • "contact me immediately" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "barr." (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • barristermikeejezie@gmail.com

Fraud email example:

From: mikeejezie23@zipmail.com.br
Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2006 03:35:06 +0200
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?HELLO?=



HELLO,

Your name and e-mail address came up in a random draw conducted by our law
firm BARRISTER MIKE EJEZIE {Law Chamber in Lagos State Nigeria.

My name isBARRISTER MIKE EJEZIE, a personal attorney to our late client
Mr. James Harrison who use to worked for an oil firm in Nigeria.

Mr. James Harrison a well known Philanthropist, before he died, he made
a WILL stating that
$6.2M Six million and two hundred thousand us dollars) should be donated
to any Philanthropist of our choice overseas. We have made a random draw
that your name and e-mail address was picked as the beneficiary to this
Will. I am particularly interested in securing this money from the Bank,
because they have issued a notice instructing us to produce the beneficiary
of this Will within two weeks or else the money will be credited to the
Government treasury as per law here.

It is my utmost desire to fulfil the wish of my late client and execute
his WILL. I urge you to contact me immediately for further details bearing
in mind that the Bank has given us a date limit. Please act fast; please
contact me on my private email address bellow.

From The desk of Barr. Mike Ejezie,
Attorney at law,
Plot 101B Ishola st.
V / I Lagos.
Telephone: + 234 80 77 17 24 20
Fax: + 234 80 66 03 38 57
Email:barristermikeejezie@gmail.com

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam