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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:
- "please indicate your interest" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Elliot Francis" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <franciselliot20@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Sat, 4 Jun 2011 23:05:09 +0200
Subject: Hello
Hi,
I am Mr. Francis. Elliot, I am contacting you because I have been looking for a contact who would help me in a business deal that is worth millionsof dollars.
I contact you because I've searched the Internet for your information and your profession that is why I am sending you this message to seek your hand as a partner who would join hands with me to execute this deal together.
This deal is capital intensive and requires serious following of instructions,100% trust and transparency.I will only expantiate on this deal when I get a reply from you showing your interest.
You will have 40% of the total sum for your assistance (moral, financial and otherwise). Please indicate your interest by responding back to me on my private email address that was opened for the purpose of this deal alone and, I will need you to send me your full name and phone number so I can easily contact you when needed.
Regards.
F. Elliot
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Anti-fraud resources:
