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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
  • "central bank of nigeria" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: paul unongoLast Name <punongo005@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2008 03:40:59 -0800 (PST)
Subject: MUTUAL BENEFITS.


DEAR SIR/MADAM,

I KNOW THIS WILL COME TO YOU AS A SURPRISE BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW ME .I AM , Dr. PAUL UNONGO,I WORK IN THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA, PACKAGING AND COURIER DEPARTMENT. I GOT YOUR CONTACT IN MY SEARCH FOR A HONEST, TRUSTWORTHY ONE WHO COULD HELP ME CONCLUDE THIS TRANSACTION WHICH I KNOW WILL BE OF MUTUAL BENEFITS FOR ME AND YOU.

I WANT YOU TO HELP ME CLEAR THIS PACKAGE THAT IS IS ABOUT TO LEAVE TO YOUR CONUTRY THROUGH ONE OF OUR CBN ACCREDITED COURIER AGENT BUT THE CONTENTS OF THE PACKAGE IS $19,000,000.00 ALL IN $100.00 BILLS,
BUT THE COURIER AGENT DOES NOT KNOW THAT IT IS MONEY THAT IN THE ACKAGE.
ALL I WANT YOU TO DO FOR ME NOW IS CONTACTS LIKE YOUR , TELEPHONE NUMBER AND YOUR HOUSE CONTACT WHERE THE PACKAGE COULD BE ADDRESSED TO.
I HOPE THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU WILL HAVE 30% AND 70% WILL BE FOR ME. MY IDENTITY MUST NOT BE REVEALED TO ANY BODY.
IF THIS ARRANGEMENT IS OKAY BY YOU, YOU CAN CALL ME 234--8033958632,FOR SECURITY REASONS OTHER MODALITIES WILL BE DISCUSSED AS SOON AS YOU GET BACK TO ME INCLUDING SENDING OF THE KEYS TO THE
BOXES TO YOU.

YOURS FAITHFULLY,
Dr. PAUL UNONGO

---------------------------------
Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam