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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "please endeavor to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "to your nominated bank account" (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)
  • "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)
  • "there is no risk involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • bk_liuyan007@yahoo.com.hk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Liu Yan" <Mail@webmail.benedictine.edu> (may be fake)
Reply-To: bk_liuyan007@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:46:53 -0500
Subject: URGENT MAIL




Dear friend,

This letter must surprise you because we have never meet before neither in
person nor by correspondence, but I believe that it takes just one day to
meet or know someone either physically or through correspondence.
I got your contact through my personal search, you were revealed as being
quite astute in private entrepreneurship, and one has no doubt in your
ability to handle a financial business transaction. I am Mr. Liu Yan a
transfer supervisor operations in investment section in Bank of China Ltd.
Secretariat of the BOCHK Charitable Foundation 13/F. Bank of China Tower,
1 Garden Road, Hong Kong I have an obscured business suggestion for
you.Before the U.S and Iraqi war our client General Mohammed Jassim Ali
who work with the Iraqi forces and also business man made a numbered fixed
deposit for 18 calendar months, with a value of Nineteen million Five
Hundred Thousand United States Dollars only in my branch.

Upon maturity several notices was sent to him, even early in the war.
Again after the war another notification was sent and still no response
came from him. We later find out that General Mohammed Jassim Ali and his
family had been killed during the war in a bomb blast that hit their
home.After further investigation it was also discovered that General
Mohammed Jassim Ali did not declare any next of kin in his official papers
including the paper work of his bank deposit. And he also confided in me
the last time he was at my office that no one except me knew of his
deposit in my bank. So, Nineteen million Five Hundred Thousand United
States Dollars is still lying in my bank and no one will ever come forward
to claim it. What bothers me most is that, according to the to the laws of
my country at the expiration 3 years the funds will revert to the
ownership of the Hong Kong Government if nobody applies to claim the
funds. Against this backdrop, my suggestion to you is that I will like you
as a foreigner to stand as the next of kin to General Mohammed Jassim Ali
so that you will be able to receive his funds.I want you to know that I
have had everything planned out so that we shall come out successful. I
have contacted an attorney that will prepare the necessary document that
will back you up as the next of kin to General Mohammed Jassim Ali, all
what is required from you at this stage is for you to provide me with your
Full Names, private phone number and Address so that the attorney can
commence his job. After you have been made the next of kin, the attorney
will also fill in for claims on your behalf and secure the necessary
approval and letter of probate in your favor for the transfer of the funds
to an account that will be provided by you with my guidiance.There is no
risk involved at all in the matter as we are going adopt a legalized
method and the attorney will prepare all the necessary documents.

Please endeavor to observe utmost discretion in all matters concerning
this issue. Once the funds have been transferred to your nominated bank
account we shall discuss the percentage issue on your reply.If you are
interested please send me your full names, private phone/fax and current
residential address, and I will prefer you to reach me on my private and
secure email address below and finally after that I shall provide you with
more details of this operation.

Kind Regards

Liu Yan.
N:B Your earliest response to this letter will be appreciated.
Please make sure you contact me on my private email:bk_liuyan007@yahoo.com.hk

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam