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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:
- "dear friend" (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: "Dr. Wahab Modibo" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <w_modibo@excite.it>
Date: Tue, 1 Jan 2002 00:17:49 +0100
Subject: **SPAM** Your Approval
Dear Friend,
I write to seek your consent and cooperation in moving the sum of US$12.5 to your custody. For clarity sake, my name is Dr. Wahab Modibo.
The said sum has been approved, released and ready to be moved to your custody. You will be entitled to 25% of the total sum for your assistance.
Further details and directives will be communicated to you once you confirm your interest.
I look forward to hear from you as soon as possible and also thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
Best Regards
Dr. Wahab Modibo
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Anti-fraud resources:
