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:
  • "the consignment" (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)
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • donbk@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Golo" <donnbk@aarhusmail.dk>
Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 15:22:19 +0200
Subject: Yes there is favour

Yes there is favour
I am Mr. Golo; I work in the National Bank Cotonou Republic of Benin West Africa, packaging and courier department. I got your contact in my search for an honest person through our National bank profile search. I want you to clear this package that is already intact which will be shipped in through our National bank accredited courier agent but the contents of the package is ($22m USD) but the courier company does not know that it is money that I have therein the package.

All I want you to do for me is to receive the consignment safely until I come to meet with you, so kindly forward to me this below information. Your full names, residential/office address, private phone number, nationality, occupation, marital status & age, be rest assure that at the end of the day, you will have 30% and 70% will be for me. If this arrangement is okay by you, then I will give you break up of the modalities as soon as you get back to me immediately you receive this mail and feel free that you will assist me in this matter, so that we can discuss on how to get the consignment of money delivered to your address and your sincerity towards this matter.

For urgent and fast implementations of matters please reply me via: donbk@hotmail.com

Yours faithfully,
Mr. Golo

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam