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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:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- 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:
- "dear friend" (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)
- "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
- "ecowas " (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
- 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.
- sir.kusso.phillip@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Sir. Phillip K" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <sir.kusso.phillip@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:37:59 +0600
Subject: Re: Please Reply Immediately
Dear Friend,
Greeting's to you and your entire family. I know you would be surprised to see this massage; however I wish to introduce you to a transaction which would be beneficial to both of us and which has to be kept confidential for the purpose thereof. My name is Sir Kusso Phillip (Esq), a lawyer based in Cote d'Ivoire.
I wish to seek for your consent to present you as next of kin to my late client since you are from the same country. This man is an Astute Business man and a contractor with ECOWAS country. He made a numbered time (Fixed) Deposit, valued at $9.2M (Nine Million Two Hundred Thousand United State Dollars) for Thirty Six calendar months in a bank here in Cote d'Ivoire. Upon Maturity, the bank instructed me to send a routine notification to his forwarding address but I got no reply. We finally we discovered he was assassinated with his entire family during civil war here in Cote 'Ivoire because he was financing another Presidential candidate.
As a result of the Civil war in Cote d'Ivoire the bank approved all huge payments to be carried out from their head office in neighboring country Ghana.
With your assistance and my professional guide we would have the money transferred to your account as the next of Kin and Beneficiary to the fund. Meanwhile, I have agreed to give you 40% upon using your account to receive the fund. I have with me all necessary documents that will back up the claim in your favor.
I look forward to your positive response and would like you to contact me immediately for further discussion, It will be very important you send along your telephone number so I can call to give you further information.
I will give you more details when I have your confirmation to this letter.
Please Send Your Response To My Private E-mail { sir.kusso.phillip@hotmail.com }
Best Regards.
Sir Kusso Phillip.
Email: sir.kusso.phillip@hotmail.com
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