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 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)
  • "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
• This email message is a "dying widow" scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "RITA CHASE" <ritachase040@gmail.com>
Reply-To: ritachase1974@yahoo.fr
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:42:49 +0100
Subject: Dear Friend


Dear Friend

Greetings in the name of God,,Pls let this not sound strange to you for my
only surviving lawyer who would have done this died early this year.i prayed
and got your email id from your country guestbook.

I am Mrs. Rita Chase from Netherland,I am 58 years old,i am suffering from
a long time cancer of the lungs which also affected my brain,from all
indication my conditions is really deteriorating and it is quite obvious
that, according to my doctors they have advised me that i may not live for
the next two months,this is because the cancer stage has gotten to a very
bad stage. I was brought up from a motherless babies home was married to my
late husband for twenty years without a child,my husband died in a fatal
motor accident Before his death we were true believers.

Since his death I decided not to re-marry,I sold all my inherited belongings
and deposited all the sum of 10million dollars with a First Inland
Bank.Presently, this money is still with them and the management just wrote
me as the true owner to come forward to receive the money for keeping it so
long or rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on
my behalf since I can not come over becauseof my illness or they get it
confisticated.

Presently, I'm with my laptop in a hospital here in london where I have been
undergoing treatment for cancer of the lungs. my doctors have told me that
I have only a few months to live.It is my last wish to see that this money
is invested to any organisation of your choice and distributed each year
among the charity organization,the poor and
the motherless babies home.

I want you as God fearing person, to also use this money to fund church,
mosque,orphanages and widows,I took this decision, before i rest in peace
because my time will so on be up.As soon as I receive your reply I shall
give you the contact of the First Inland Bank.I will also issue you a letter
of authority that will prove you as the new beneficiary of my fund.

Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein.

Hoping to hear from you soon.

Waiting for your reply

Mrs. Rita Chase

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam