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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:
- "sgt.j897@outlook.com" (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: Sgt Major Jeffery <mdumas@mail.destination.ca>
Reply-To: sgt.j897@outlook.com
Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2015 07:57:26 -0400
Subject: We really need to discuss
--
Good day,
Hope you're doing great and having a fulfilled day. Time is of the essence, so
I'll keep this brief. I was hoping you could possibly give me 5 minutes of
your undivided attention and point me in the right direction by reading my
email and sending a reply.
I am Sgt. Major Jeffrey McIntire serving in the US Army currently on duty tour
in Afghanistan. I need your consent to act as global funds custodian and
administrator of $15 Million USD to finance a charity organization for rural
communities in Afghanistan.
If this interests you personally or your company, and want to know more on how
to possibly take part, please take a moment to let me know. Reply to:
sgt.j897@outlook.com indicating your interest so I can provide further
details.
Respectful
Sgt. Major Jeffrey McIntire
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Anti-fraud resources:
