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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:
- "% commission" (Beware of any scheme that involves depositing checks or money orders or receiving wire transfers in your bank account and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere, for a percentage of 5-15% of the total. Such offers are *always* fraudulent and you will be liable for the entire amount when the checks, money orders or wire transfers turn out to be fraudulent. Any money already forwarded comes out of *your* pocket then. )
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "kiaalua LTD" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <kiaalua212@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2012 11:53:06 -0500
Subject: ORDER
Hello,
Good morning.
We got your contact through a reliable source as the leading
company/supplier of of the product we need to supply our customer.
We are into importer and customer representative here in our country
and we will like to enter into full business relationship with your
able company.
Kindly get back to us through our below details with the items which
you can supply to us along with the full detail specification for our
study and order. Kindly confirm the below details so we can proceed.
- Your minimum order quantity.
- Your FOB Prices and FOB Port.
- Your estimated delivery time.
- Your Method Of Payment
- Your Sample Policy
Kindly log into the link below to view samples of the product we need
for supply.
http://tcadp.org/tmm/ordersheet/weblogin.html
We want to place and order large quantity this month,
We believe that your company can serve better in the supply of the
items.Can you handle this contract?
Our company shall be acting as your representative between you and the
end buyer for the purpose of this transaction, and you shall map out
2% commission of the total contract value, as our compensation upon
the successful conclusion of this transaction after you must have
received your total contract payment in your designated bank account.
We sincerely hope to establish a long lasting business relationship
with your firm in the nearest future for our mutual benefit.
We anticipate your co-operation and prompt response to our request soonest.
Best Regards,
Ahmed Hossain
Kiaalua LTD
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Anti-fraud resources:
