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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:
- "very confidential" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "robert mugabe" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "billy@tmslive.info" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mrs Franca J. Brown" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <billy@tmslive.info>
Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 17:54:50 +0100
Subject: Please Respond Today (Thanks)
Dear Sir
I am Mrs Franca J. Brown of Zimbabwe wife of late J.Brown a well known farmer and diamond merchant but my husband died of hearth attack after the seizure of all his life times investment in Zimbabwe by the Government of Robert Mugabe and and this includes his farmes and money in his account. And my but lost nearly all to the Government of Robert Mogarbe but I Thank God my husband was able to transfer the sum of USD45.5million through a deplomatic channel means to one of the Security Companies outside my country (Zimbabwe) before his death and the money is contained in two treasury boxes which we made the security to understand that the boxes are containing personal effect just fot the security of the fund and my late husband told the Security Company that the boxes belongs to one of his customers who will later contact them for onward transfer of the boxes to him.
Further to this as a matter of importance, please my reason of contacting you, is that I am honestly in need of your assistance to help me and my children transfer these money/boxes to your country for onward investment in your country for my children upbringing as we are finding a way to leave this country to settle down there in your country and continue our lives. You may wonder how I got your address, it was seen in one of my husband's file and I am sure you may be one of our numerous customers and I have every trust in you as one who knows my late husband and will not sit on the money upon delivery to you.
Please note that we have no other place to run to until these boxes gets to you. Kindly do every thing possible to reply this mail so as to enable me give you the full contact details of the Security Company where the boxes are for your immediate transfer of the boxes to your country. And please keep this very confidential as it is only you and I that knows the content of these boxes and apart from us no other person know about it
Please reply this mail through these my private email addresses: billy@tmslive.info
In my next mail to you, I shall send you my photograph so that you will know whom you are dealing with.
Thanks and God Bless as I urgently await your reply.
Mrs Franca Brown
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