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joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam
The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.
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.
Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!
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:
- This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "western union" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
- This email message is a fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
- They don't notify winners by email.
- You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
- They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
- They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
- They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
- They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
- They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!
- Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
Fraud email example:
From: western122@optonline.net
Reply-To: wudepartment@live.com
Date: Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:39:36 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Dear Esteemed Winner
Dear Esteemed Winner,
This is to inform you that you have Awarded the sum of 250,000.00 (Great Britain Pounds Sterling) on the western union promotion award.To Claim your award prize, you are to contact our WESTERN UNION CUSTOMERS RELATION DEPARTMENT through our agent contact address below.You are also advised to provide him with the under listed information's below for prompt verification through our payroll office.
This is your winning pin number XZB120964MW. You are advised to keep your winning pin number safe
from public notice to avoid double claim of prize as this can lead to disqualification of paying you your prize money.
CONTACT THE CLAIMS AGENT:DENIS JULIUS
Email:wudepartment@live.com
1. Names in full........
2. Address...... ......
3. Occupation..............
4. Age............
5. Country..... ...
6. Telephone Number.........
7. Short comment on our services... .......
8. Fax > [optional]...........
9. Email address..... .......
Sincerely,
MR. FALATO
Director Western Union Service
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