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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 us 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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Zinab Hassan" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mrs_zinabhassan@yahoo.com.ph>
Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2012 05:06:21 -0600
Subject: A Proposal Of Mutual Interest.
Attention:
My name is Zinab Hassan, i know it will be a big surprise for you to receive my email because email like
these fly over the internet telling people about funds and every other things. I myself always receives offer
from the internet which i normally delete because i believe it will be scam letter.But please i beg you and i
swear to the name of Almighty Allah that i worship that what am telling you now is not a joke or a scam, if
you follow everything i have said in my letter both of us will be happy for the rest of our life.
I Am from Libya and my husband is one of the late Gaddafi sons driver. it was my husband who took Gaddafi
family to Niger and Algeria when they ran from Libya; but he came back to Libya and died when their convoy
was hit by NATO bomb. but he told me something very important when he was alive. he told me how he took
some money from Gaddafi son and kept it in a secret place.
He said the money is in Us Dollars 8.6 million Us Dollars and all kept in a big suitcase kept in a secret hide
out. I will want to give you information about all what am saying because seeing is believing. i am presently
out of Libya because we ran out during the war.
Why am writting you is because i want you to take ownership of the funds which my husband kept because if
people knows that it belongs to my late husband they will seize it and report to the Libyan government. my
husband fought and died for his master so please i have to keep everything secret until i hear from you.
I have 4 children for my husband, we are finding it hard to live on daily basis right now until i can get hold
of what i just told you but i still have to be very carefully not to lose the money. i will share the money and
the gold with you if you will assist me.Just for you to claim ownership of the money i will give you half of the
money it is under your control. i will tell you how you can receive the money when i hear from you. also
every other details will be given when i see your seriousness to help us receive the both items.
I also want you to know that the money is not in Libya but in a different country. i will let you know the
country as soon as i hear from you.
I will wait for your reply
Madam Zinab
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