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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:
- "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "sen.davidmark01@9.cn" (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: "SENATOR DAVID MARK" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <sen.davidmark01@9.cn>
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2010 21:15:13 -0000
Subject: SEN.DAVID MARK
From: President of the Senate
Name: Sen. David Mark
Attn:
Friend,
Please don’t be surprise to receive my proposal, it’s a call for a confidential mutual partnership to go into various investments abroad. I am the PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE OF FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA. My position is a sensitive type and as such I implore you to assure me of maintaining absolute confidentiality in terms of this our ongoing mutual partnership to not endanger my political ambitious. Though I got your contacts through my personal effort in a bid to search for a capable foreign business conglomerate that can handle Hugh sums of funds on my behalf and out of desperation I decided to reach you through this medium.
However in due time I will give you more information to this regard as soon as you reply to keep this as top secret between us. I therefore repose great confidence in you hence my approach to you is due to security watch placed on high profile public servants in Nigeria holding position like ours. I have concluded within my understanding and decided to contact you for this great ongoing proposed investment plans I hope you will not betray my confidence in you .Like I earlier said I have some funds in a secret place whose name is withheld for now until we open communication, and I also need you to get this funds out and after which you will assist in investing my share in your country for a better investment that family can live upon in future.
I want you to send down your information's to me I shall be grateful if you could receive this fund confidentially into your account for safe keeping pending when you will help invest my share in your country. This deal is known to you and me alone, and I will offer you 30% of this fund by the time you get the funds in your care. Upon receipt of your assurance I will give you figures of the funds and the contact details of an attorney that will help you secure legal documents in your names as the beneficiary of the funds and I will also lead you and give you directory to the offices and stakeholders to contact to get the funds to you confidently legitimately without any show of shame hence I shall not be shown to the picture of the exercise until the funds gets into your account for sharing. Please honesty is the watch word in this transaction; I will greatly appreciate if you accept my proposal in good faith and don’t forget to maintain top secret.
Please expedite action.
Sincerely yours,
Sen. David Mark
Alternate email: sen.davidmark01@9.cn
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Anti-fraud resources:
