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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 united states 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)
- "loan amount" (Beware of fake loan offers. Real lenders would not normally use free webmail addresses such as Yahoo, nor would they lend to individuals or small businesses in a different country from where they are based. Beware of mobile phones or redirector numbers!)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Umar Hamisu" <umarhamisu_septuagenarian@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: ibinye_mindlaw@yahoo.com
Date: Fri, 10 May 2013 14:48:16 -0100
Subject: THE INFORMATIONS
Attn of AL-DUMAS JR
united states of america
Sir
Sequel to our last telephone conversations and your subsequent calls ladt
night.I must apologise for my inability yesterday to get done the needful
hence these informations
The stake holders who comprised of 9 families have been able to share our
funds in percentages accordingto the Nigeria national Petroleum accreddited
benefits and grants.
I was given a total of the sum of ONE HUNDRED AND THREE MILLION
{$103.000.000.00} from the total of EIGHT HUNDRED AND SEVENTY TWO MILLION
UNITED STATES DOLLARS ONLY{$872,000.000.00]
What you should do now is to get the said account with either the chase
Manahathan bank or the welsfargo bank and the American lenders here in Nigeria
will help us pay some money into it and in turn you will withdraw and send
same to us in order to settle the wide-mouth staffers of the Nigerian
National petroleum corporation to help me get the approvals to credit your
dfesignated account with your bank with the total sum of that aforementioned
total sum of $103 millin on my own family behalf.
We shall specify and define also the percentage that I will be giving to
you...but i have considred with my dear wife Hajia Habiba Umar-Hamisu that we
shall give to you a 10% of the total sum of $103 million.
Please read below the requirements to get the loan amount paid into your ChSE
OR wELSFARGO ACCOUNT...
Yours Faithfully.
Hamisu ,Mr Umar Hamisu
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