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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "liberia" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- "abidjan" (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: Sylvie Kamara <sk.1993@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 10:56:44 +0100 (BST)
Subject: From Sylvie Kamara
Â
From Sylvie Kamara
Hi there, l am Sylvie Kamara, I’m a 20 years old girl and single from Liberia. I am seeking for your assistance and partnership in a financial transaction. “Your profile sparked my interest, and it certainly didn’t hurt that you’re quite pleasant to partner with. I don’t want to bore you with a list of every activity I enjoy. I need you to assist me faithfully transfer to your bank account my inherited funds amount (Six million Eight hundred thousand USD dollars ) $6.8 Million which my Father deposited in a suspense account in a bank in Abidjan, the capital of Cote d'Ivoire before his death. I would love to have your telephone number so that i can talk with you.
Reply me immediately for more details and my photos.
God bless you.
Sylvie Kamara.
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Anti-fraud resources:
