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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:
- "million united states 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)
- "there is no risk involved" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Terry Smith" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <terry.smith99@inMail.sk>
Date: Sun, 2 Oct 2011 10:59:25 +0100
Subject: Request
Dear Sir ,
I am Mr. Terry Smith , a lawyer based in London - United kingdom . I represent a big political figure in the middle east (name to be mentioned later ) who has an urgent need to move out a large sum of money from his country . My principal is a distinguished gentleman who holds a key political position in his country. I have his mandate to negotiate and agree with a very reliable business partner to assist with a Twenty million united states dollars investment.
The need to invest this fund overseas has been necessitated by the current political situation and the call for change in the Middle East. We are ready to go into negotiations with you regarding what share of the fund that should be assigned to you per your assistance.
The source of this money is authoritative; therefore there is no risk involved. With your cooperation, we are sure to transfer the fund to your care within 14 working days. We expect that all aspect of this transaction would be conducted successfully with trust and absolute confidentiality. Please feel free to ask questions in case there is anything you do not understand.Thank you again for your attention.
Sincerely,
Terry Smith .
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Anti-fraud resources:
