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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:
- ",000,000" (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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: FREDRICK DOUGLAS <fredrickdouglastrustfinance1@gmail.com>
Reply-To: fredrickdouglastrustfinance@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2012 00:11:30 -0700
Subject: LOAN OFFER!! APPLY NOW!
Good day,
Are you interested in obtaining a loan from a legitimate lender at a
very cheaper rate or Are you looking for an investor?
Here is the opportunity you have been looking for.
We can get you a loan from the range of $4,000 to $10,000,000.
All you have to do is just get back to us now and let us know if you
are interested in our service.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Regards.
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Anti-fraud resources:
