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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:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "the consignment" (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)
- "trunk box" (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)
- "consignment " (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)
- "million united state 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)
- "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)
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
- "liberia" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- 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.
- luckytheprince1@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: lucky kalabi <lllkalabi@yahoo.ca>
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:32:34 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: My name is Prince Kuku
My name is Prince Kuku from Liberia but leaving in Ghana Bujumbura refuge camp after the war that brake out in my country Liberia, during that war the rebel short my father Chief John Kuku which he latter died on the bullet injuring that he sustain during the war in Liberia.
Before my late father die he called me in his hospital bed and review to me that he deposited a consignment trunk box funds that contain 15million united state Dollars with a security company called World Wide Insurance security company in Ghana that he was deposited in my name as his next of kin that I should go and claim it as soon as i complete 21years old now i have come of age to claim the funds , why I am asking for your assistance in this transaction as I go to claim the consignment trunk box the security company made me to understand that only me cannot claim the trunk box from them that I most come with a foreign beneficiary of me or my late father foreign partner before they can release the trunk box for me, the company made me to understand that before my late father deposited the trunk box with them that he made an agreement with the security company that without a foreign beneficiary the funds should not be release to any of his family
member that is the reason why I saw you online I sick for your assistance if you can stand as my foreign beneficiary to contact with the security company from your country for the claiming of this funds then the security company can transfer the funds through you to your country for me and my mother to come there and leave with you also invest with you in your country.
We are ready to give you 25% from the total sum of the amount involve also I want you to understand that the security company did not know the content of what we have inside the trunk box because my late father only deposited it with them as a family precious items, please if you most help me in this transaction you will have to let this be a top secret between us do not review it to the security company that its money in the trunk box so that there eyes brows will not raze on the said trunk box, in your respond to this message I will feed you with all deposit documents involve for you to contact with the security company directly.
Reply to my privacy (luckytheprince1@yahoo.com)
Thanks
Prince Kuku
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