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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "a security company " (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. )
- This email message is a orphan scam.
Fraud email example:
From: aazznice21@zipmail.com.br
Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2013 08:45:08 -0300
Subject: I am Fabien
Good Day,
I am Fabien Oguidi. I am 19 years old orphan. Currently, I stay alone. I have a huge sum of $2.5 Million USD to retrieve from a security company which my late father deposited but registered as family valuables on my behalf for obvious reasons. I have the documents and I am the next of kin and heir. I have nobody to help me, please if you can help me kindly email me back for more details.
Your prompt reply will be highly appreciated.
Regards,
Fabien Oguidi.
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Anti-fraud resources: