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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:
- "hundred thousand us dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- This email message is a "New Partner from Paraguay" scam.
- Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
- 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.
- charlespaul77@yahoo.fr (Yahoo, France; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
Fraud email example:
From: "adams" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <henryallenn@terra.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2010 00:32:30 +0100
Subject: Hello Good Friend
Hello Good Friend
I'm happy to inform you about my success in getting the fund
Transferred to a Swiss Account with the cooperation of a new partner who is an international
businessman. Presently I'm on tour of investment projects with my own share of the total sum.
Meanwhile, I did not forget your past efforts and attempts to assist me in transferring those
funds despite the fact that it failed us some how.
Call my lawyer here are his contacts:
Name: Barrister Charles Paul
Email:charlespaul77@yahoo.fr
Tel: 0022506148337
Ask him to send to you the total sum $800.000.00 (Eight Hundred Thousand US Dollars) which I kept for your compensation for all the past efforts and attempts to
assist me in this matter. I appreciated your efforts at that time very much.
So feel free and get in touch with my lawyer Barrister Charles and instruct him where to send the amount to you.
Please do let me know immediately you receive it so that we can share the joy
after all the suffer ness at that time. At the moment, I am very busy here because of the
investment projects which I and my new partner have at hand.
Finally, remember that I had forwarded instruction to my lawyer on your
Behalf to receive that money so get in touch with him and he will
Send the amount to you without any delay. I mean your share of the money.
Best regards,
Eng: peter Adams
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