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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:
- "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
Fraud email example:
From: "James Weah" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <kjato1@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2010 20:15:56 -0000
Subject: Kindly read and get back to me
Attention: Sir/Madam,
I am Barrister James Weah from the Ashanti Province of Ghana Republic.I write to inquire from you if you would be interested in a joint partnership investment with my client.
My client wishes to invest in your country on a joint partnership operations andneeds a reliable fellow as a managing partner. We would love to have more information about investments in your country.
My client will provide the funds for this partnership for you to invest for a mutual benefits.
Attractive commision and profits are part of the package. Further information will be made available to you upon receipt of reply indicating interest in the proposal. Expecting your kind and urgent response.
Regards.
James Weah.
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Anti-fraud resources:
