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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 friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "very confidential" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "paulali@blumail.org" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Paul Ali" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <paulali@blumail.org>
Date: Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:51:26 +0100
Subject: Urgent from Zurich Switzerland
Dear Friend,
I am an asylum seeker in Zurich Switzerland, but I am originally from Libya. I had to flee from my country because of the current situation in Libya. I worked closely for Gadhafi, but had to flee from my country leaving lots of money behind. As I result of my legal status here in Switzerland I am not entitle to have some basic amenities e.g. having a bank account.
The reason I am contacting you is that I need a trust worthy person who is from a developed country and can assist me receive money from Libya as well as from other European countries. As an asylum seeker here in Switzerland, I am restricted to having lots of things.
Please threat as very confidential.
Please contact me As soon as possible for more details.
Regards,
Paul Ali
Email: paulali@blumail.org
Tel: + 41 78 334 70 01
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Anti-fraud resources:
