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)
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "hundred thousand united state 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)
  • "urgent assistance" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: Mr Koutaba Kafando <kou.kaf0d@msn.com>
Reply-To: <koutaba.kafando01@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:51:45 +0000
Subject: I NEED YOUR RESPECTFUL REPLY.



FROM THE DESK OF MR. KOUTABA KAFANDO,DIRECTOR IN CHARGE OF AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING SECTION BANK OF AFRICA (B.O.A) OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO, WEST AFRICA, DIRECT TELEPHONE NO: +226 75 42 16 73. Dear Friend, STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise as we never met before. I am the Director in charge of Auditing section of Bank of African (B.O.A), I Hoped that you will not expose or betray this trust and confident that I am about to repose on you for the mutual benefit of our both families. I need your urgent assistance in transferring the sum of Twenty-Two Million and Six Hundred Thousand united state dollars ($22.600 000mUSD) immediately to your account. The fund has been dormant (in-active) for 5 years in our Bank here without any body coming for it. I want to apply for release of the fund to you as the nearest person to our deceased customer Mr George Brumley Jr from Atlanta America (the owner of the account) who died a long with his supposed next of kin in air crash since on July 21 2003. I don't want the fund to go into our Bank treasury as an abandoned fund, so this is the reason why I contacted you, so that my Bank will release the fund to you as the nearest person to the deceased customer. Please I would like you to keep this proposal as a top secret and delete it if you are not interested. Upon receipt of your reply, I will send you the application form you will fill and send to the bank for transfer of the fund into your bank account and also note that you will have 40% of the above mentioned amount if you agree to help me execute this business. And also 10% had been mapped out for you for the expense you will make in this transaction and 50% is for me. I need you information so that I will send you the application form. YOUR FULL INFORMATIONS Your Name.Your Home Addresses.City.Country.Home Telephone.Private Telephone.Fax No.Marital Status.Age.Occupation.Religion.Your picture.Waiting for your urgent call so that we will starts immediately,Best Regards, MR KOUTABA KAFANDO. TELE/ +226 75 42 16 73(B.O.A) BANK OF AFRICA

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam