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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
- "(ecowas)" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "dhl.wwdhlcenter@admin.in.th" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: WESTERN UNION <042@geene090.onmicrosoft.com>
Reply-To: <dhl.wwdhlcenter@admin.in.th>
Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2013 15:56:52 +0530
Subject: Re: IRREVOCABLE RELEASE OF YOUR PAYMENT?
DEAR FRIEND,
YOUR AMOUNT CREDITED IN THE CARD IS $1.8 MILLION, THE (UN)/(ECOWAS) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ECONOMIC MELTDOWN COMPENSATION.(WORLD BANK ASSISTED PROJECT) A WORLDWIDE COMPENSATION FOR THE CURRENT ECONOMIC MELTDOWN.
CONGRATULATION,I HAVE FINALLY REGISTERED YOUR ATM MASTER CARD WITH DHL COURIER COMPANY THIS MORNING AFTER THE AGREEMENT TO PAY YOU VIA DEBIT CARD WHICH WILL ALLOW YOU WITHDRAWAL FROM ANY AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE AROUND YOU.AS WE AGREED AND THE DELIVERY WILL TAKE OFF IMMEDIATELY YOU MADE CONTACT WITH THEM BASED ON MY AGREEMENT WITH D.H.L DIRECTOR DR.SIR.JON BASIL CONTACT THEM WITH YOUR DELIVERY INFORMATION AS FOLLOW
YOUR NAME_______________
YOUR HOME ADDRESS_______
YOUR ID COPY____________
YOUR COUNTY___________
YOUR AGE/SEX_____________
DIRECT PHONE NUMBER____
YOUR OCCUPATION______
DHL OFFICE IN INDIA:
CONTACT PERSON: DR.SIR.JON BASIL
E-MAIL: dhl.wwdhlcenter@admin.in.th
PHONE NO: +919654284191
YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED $1.8 MILLION
BEST REGARDS,
MR.JOYCE GUPTA
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Anti-fraud resources:
