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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:
- "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
Fraud email example:
From: "Adams" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <carolinaadams114@yahoo.es>
Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:15:09 +0100
Subject: INVESTMENT/LOAN OFFER.
Hello,
I have an investment fund deposit and i got your contact during my search for investment opportunities online.
My investment fund is a private fund and i want to invest the fund under the management of private business persons and corporate bodies with good track records and capability.
The fund will be disbursed based on a clear loan of 4.5% interest rate per annum.
My investment Loan capacity at the moment is from 1M USD to 500M USD.
If you are interested,do contact me immediately.
Carolina Adams.
+447939935519
Broad Street
Welshpool
SY21 7RR
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Anti-fraud resources:
