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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:
- "huge sum of money" (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)
- "i got your email address from " (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Rev Frances Mido" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <midofrances@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2012 00:37:02 -0700
Subject: Important...
My Dear Beloved
My name is Rev Frances Mido,
I am 56 years old now. I have
been on sick bed for years, suffering from
Kidney and Renal Pelvis Cancer(Renal cell cancer)
for years. I believe
it's time for me to join my ancestors
in heaven. I got your email
address from the Internet, as the spirit of Almighty God
directed me to contact you for this charity work.
I deposited huge sum of money in a
safe location, which I want you to claim
on my behalf for an important
charitable project. Can you honestly do
this for me?
Remain bless in
the Lord.
Rev Frances Mido
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Anti-fraud resources:
