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)
• 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.
  • amin.abid@sify.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Amin Abid <amin_abid378@msn.com>
Reply-To: <amin.abid002@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:18:24 +0000
Subject: Reply Urgent Please




Dear Friend,

My name is Mr. Amin Abid. I am the Manager, Foreign Operations Department, African Development Bank, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

I want you to indicate your interest to receive a transfer of €12.6 Million Euro into your account. I would like you to stand as a next of kin to our deceased customer whose account is presently dormant. I wish to inform you that 40% of this money will be for you as foreign partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account, while the remaining 60% would be for me.

Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you a text of application which you shall send to our bank as the next of kin to the deceased.

Trusting to hear from you as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,
Amin Abid

NB: Reply through my alternate e-mail address: amin.abid@sify.com

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam