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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:
- "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "i got your email address from " (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
- This email message is a "dying widow" scam.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mrs Zulton" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <tinnazulton@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:02:23 +0800
Subject: My Dearest in Christ
Please be informed that i got your email address from a mailDirectory
and decided to mail you for a permission to go ahead.
My Name is Mrs.Tina Zulton from U.K,i am married to Dr.Mark Zulton who
worked with Texaco Oil Company in Malaysia before he died.Before his
sudden death,we were both born again Christians.
Me and my late Husband were married but without Any child. Since his
death I decided not to re-marry and presently I am 69 Years old. When
my late husband was alive we deposited the sum of $11.5M. (Eleven
Million Five Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars) in boxes form with a
security company in U.K. Presently this money is still with the
company and the management of the company is not aware of the real
contents of the boxes.They just Wrote to me as the beneficiary to come
forward to claim the boxes or rather Issue a letter of authority to
somebody to receive it on my behalf.
I am presently in a hospital where I have been undergoing treatment on
Cancer of the lungs. I can only talk a little and my doctors have told
me that I have only a few months to live, so I think the best thing to
do is to use the money for charity purposes.Nothing would make my soul
happier.
I want a person who is trustworthy that I will make the beneficiary of
my late Husband's Fund deposited with the Company so that the person
can claim the boxes on my family's behalf and utilize 70% of this
money to fund churches, orphanages and widows around the world.
As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact details
of the security company and all the information and documents you will
require for this. I will also issue you a letter of authority that
will prove you as the new beneficiary of this boxes.
Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated here in and
Keep this contact confidential till such a time this funds get to your
Custody.
This is to ensure that nothing jeopardizes my last wish on Earth and
be sure that it will certainly not benefit any person to gain every
thing on earth and looses his soul.Please think of the poor and
suffering millions of people around the world.Nothing will gladden my
heart than seeing this last wish of mine on earth materialized.
I await your urgent reply and may God bless you.
Regards,
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