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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:
- "clearance fee" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "central bank of nigeria" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Dr. Uzoma Elmonte Ebere" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <dr.uzomaelmonteebere@yahoo.ca>
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2013 06:34:03 -0600
Subject: ARE YOU STILL ALIVE? CONFIRM TO ME THE CLAIM BY MR. BOBBY APPLEGATE
Please confirm to me immediately if you have authorized Mr.Bobby Applegate of 1301 ST.Anthony Lane Petaluma CA, USA to receive your approved compensation fund of $10.3M USD.
I communicated you to be sure if his claim is true or false. You are to reply this letter with in 24 hours or the payment shall be release to him as he has paid all required clearance fees and the payment in his favor is at the final step.
Reply with the information below:
Full Name........................
Contact Address..................
Mobile Telephone Number...........
Occupation........................
Age/Date of Birth.................
Next of Kin......................
Waiting.
Dr.Uzoma Elmonte Ebere
Director Foreign Operations,
Central Bank Of Nigeria.
Abuja-Nigeria.
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Anti-fraud resources:
