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:
  • "courier service" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "abidjan" (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.
  • mid-worldcourierserve@post.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: <cmiller0032009@hotmail.fr>
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:13:42 +0000
Subject: My beloved One.



My Beloved One,
I have been waiting for you since regarding your Cashier Bank Draft worth USD$1.5Million before I leave Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire but you did not show face and I did not heard from you since that time,then I went and deposited the Draft with MID-WORLD COURIER SERVICE COMPANY there in my country Cote d'Ivoire.
Please for your informations, I travelled to Japan to see my boss as he instructed me and will not come back till next month end, Please You have to contact the MID-WORLD COURIER SERVICE COMPANY to know when they will deliver your package to you there in your country,I have paid for the delivering charges and insurance fee.
The only money you have to send to them is their security keeping fee which is $180.00 Us Dollars to received your package I agreed with them that you will pay the $180.00 Don't be deceived by any body because I paid for the delivery fee before they accepted the Cashier Bank draft and was told that after one week you will pay the Security keeping fee which is only $180.00. Contact the DIRECTOR OF THE COMPANY with the informations below:
NAME/Prof. Donald Steele Address:BP 205 Ste Ceceile Ave,Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.TEL: (225) 085 86 847.EMAIL: mid-worldcourierserve@post.com
Try to contact them as soon as possible to avoid increasing the security keeping fee.I gave them your delivering address but you have to reconfirm it to them again to avoid any mistake in the delivering. Let me know as soon as you receive your Cashier Bank Draft,And I am very sorry for any inconvinence this might have caused you but remember that it was'nt my fault because I waited for you to come down before I was called by my Director, The amount you have to send to them is US$180.00 only. Regards,
Carol Miller.Secretary

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam