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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.
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mr Robert Kwame" <rk@info.com>
Reply-To: robertkwame@live.cn.com
Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2010 06:19:41 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Funds Made Available----Support =?iso-8859-1?Q?HAITI=FE?=
Attn Pls!
I know you will be very surprised when reading this mail as we have no
previous relationship and I wish you can comprehend the importance of this
email to you and the people of HAITI. I am Robert Kwame,A kenyan Citizen
and a Kenyan Consulate in Los Angeles LA. Your contact was taken from
philanthropic journal advertisers as one of the great philanthropists out
there with good reputation on giving aid and charity to orphans and
helpless in the society. therefore, I am convinced that you are a good
candidate for this program.
I am looking for company/individual who can set up an account to receive
funds in order to give aid and support to the people of HAITI, hence I am
contacting you as a reputable and reliable candidate. I will be funding
the account while you use it for the purpose mentioned above. Money is not
everlasting and we all we die some day and leave it here. I believe the
best thing any human being could do is to support the less previlage.
As the consulate general and a government functionary, I can not run this
program by myself nor make a direct transfer outside Kenyan due to our
constitutional responsibilities. I have been able to transfer funds to
Kenyan to the tune of US$28Million through the diplomatic channels which
is the only possible means for me. Therefore, I need your cooperation to
be in touch with Director of Operation to institute an account in your
name and have the funds tracked into it.
My obligation as a good Muslim wouldn't let me stop as my heart goes for
the people of HAITI.
I will link you to the contact individual to coordinate the account
setting in Kenyan as soon as I hear from you. One last thing is that, i
would like you to remain faithfully and transparent over this program as
we can't afford to fail the good work that we are appointed to do in this
life which surely will yield to our life after death which is the most
important.
May it be given to you the understanding and wisdom to treat this message
as required.
Awaiting your sincere response
Mr Robert Kwame.
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