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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 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)
- "you are advice to " (this email uses bad English)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- gnscaward@hushmail.com (Hushmail; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
Fraud email example:
From: GNSC Award <test@altainkhuder.mn>
Reply-To: <laprimitiva@kimo.com>
Date: Fri, 18 May 2012 13:08:06 +0800
Subject: SCAMMED VICTIMS COMPENSATION SCHEME.
--
Congratulation!!!.
The United Nation (UN) in conjuction with the Orgnaisation of Africa
Unity (OAU) has finally decided to put an end to online scam . Various
security measure has been designed, to be implemented by some notable
software company in other to monitor and track any online scam
activities.
They have not left behind those that was scammed and riped of thier
hard earnings in the past. It was finally agreed by both Organisations
to compensate some of those scammed victims within a certain period of
time. Ghana National Sweeptakes Compensation Award© 2012 was formed and
approved to carry out this mission within the West Africa Region.
This Selection was made through an electronic E-mail address ballot
Lottery system and your email address has been selected as one of the
winners of the lottery and you are therefore entitle to recieve the sum
of 2.5Million Dollars.
To enable us process your file that is to be submitted to the
approved Bank for payment, we will want you to submit the following
information:
Full Name.....
Contact Address...........
Contact Tel...............
Age.......................
Marital status............
Sex.......................
Ocupation.................
If you have not been scammed and you are selected in this Lottery,
consider yourself lucky to have won for it was electronically drawn you
are advice to notify us.
If you are one of the victim, please, include a brief disription of
how you where scam to enable us improve our security system.
Do contact us with the requested information at
(gnscaward@hushmail.com) for immediate
payment of your entitlement.
We await your argent respond.
Regards
Dr. David Teteh (Coordinator)
Ghana National Sweeptakes Compensation Award© 2012
Copyright © 2003-2012
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