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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:
- "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- "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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Delta Delivery Company Ltd." <deltadelivery@deliveryman.com>
Reply-To: "Delta Delivery Company Ltd." <ddeltadelivery@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2010 10:52:41 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Please re-confirm your address
FROM THE MANAGEMENT OF DELTA DELIVERY COMPANY LTD
Dear Sir/Madam,
We the management of Delta Delivery Company Ltd have decided to evacuate all the
unclaimed people's property in our possession such as consignment boxes,
parcels, goods, etc. from our Ghana office and deliver them to the
beneficiaries. And your name was found in the list of those that have not yet
claimed their property. You are hereby advised to hurry for the claim of your
package OR quickly reconfirm your address to enable immediate and safe delivery
of your package to your destination. A 10 digit tracking number will be issued
to you after the verification of your provided address to enable you track and
confirm the exact location of your package from our website during delivery
until it arrives your destination.
Thank you
Signed,
Delta Delivery Company Ltd.
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Anti-fraud resources:
