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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 message is a "dying widow" scam.
- 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.
- mariajonathan111@gmail.com (Gmail/GoogleMail; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
Fraud email example:
From: mariajonathan@sify.com
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:44:04 +0000
Subject: Mrs. Maria
Mrs. Maria
I am Mrs. Maria Jonathan now undergoing medical treatment for cancer. I am
married to Dr. Peter Jonathan who worked with United Kingdom Embassy in
Malaysia for three years before he died in the year 2005.
Before my Husband died, we both make a deposit of a total sum $4.8M in
Royal Finance solutions in Europe. Recently, my Doctor told me that I have
few months to live due to cancer problem. Having known my condition I have
decided to donate this fund to an honest Person. My Attorney will issue you
a Letter of Authority from Court naming you the original Beneficiary of
these funds. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated
herein. Hoping to hear from you.
Remember to send your response to this email id: mariajonathan111@gmail.com
In His Arms.
Mrs. Maria J
I've invited you to fill out the form Mrs. Maria . To fill it out, visit:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey
1YX0NpcW5PWTFIdVpRMEZvdkpPWmc6MA
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Anti-fraud resources:
