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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:
- "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: ajpcm1 <ajpcm1@yahoo.co.jp>
Reply-To: ajpcm@yahoo.co.jp
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:34:39 +0100 (BST)
Subject: HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY
Greetings to you.
Â
Please
don't be offended or surprise to receive this letter since you don’t
know me personally, but do treat this request as a call from somebody in
dire need of your kind assistance, but for the purpose of introduction,
My name is Miss. Andrea Coulibaly the only child and daughter to late
Mr. Theodore Coulibaly my father was the former director in the Gold and
mining cooperation in our country Republic of Mali before the resent
coup that took place last few months. My mother died when I was still a
baby.
My
father was assassinated by the opposition parties during the coup, and
after the death of
my father I find some important documents proving the deposit of some
money that my father deposited in the bank in Cote D’Ivoire. I secretly
took those documents and relocated to Cote D’Ivoire for the safety of my
life. I have also confirmed the existence of the fund with the bank.
I
will need your sincere assistance to help me to transfer the fund from
the bank here to your country so that I can be in your country to
continue my education while you use the money for a good business
investment that will be good for my future.
While
replying back I will like you to tell me more about yourself and also
send to me your direct telephone number for our easy communication.
Â
My best Regards,
Â
Miss. Andrea Coulibaly.
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Anti-fraud resources:
