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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:
 -  "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
 
 -  "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. 
  -  This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes. 
 -  madamzinabhssann@yahoo.com (Yahoo; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
 
 
Fraud email example:
From: MADAMZINAB HASSAN <hassanzinab2@gmail.com> 
Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2014 10:42:29 -0800 
Subject: DEAR I NEED YOUR HELP 
 
--  
Dear Friend, 
I hope my mail will fine you and your family in good health. 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. but my self 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 Allah i worship that what am telling 
you 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. 
 
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 13.6 million Us Dollars and all kept in 
a big suitcase kept in a secret hide out. and also 86 kilos of gold which 
he kept somewhere else. 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 written you is because i want you to take ownership of the funds and 
gold which my husband kept because if people knows that it belongs to my 
late husband they will size it and report to the Libyan government. my 
husband fight and died for his master so please i have to keep everything 
secret until i hear from you. and please all what am saying is just known 
by the both of us and nobody else. 
 
i have 6 children for my husband and nothing to feed them here until i can 
get hold of what i just told you but i still have to be very carefully not 
to lose the money or the gold. i will share the money and the gold with you 
if you will assist me. 
 
just for you to claim ownership of the money and the gold i will give you 
half of the money and half of the gold when it is under your control. i 
will tell you how you can receive the money and the gold when i hear from 
you. also every other details will be given when i see your seriousness to 
help us receive the both items. please send me your direct details and 
phone number so we can talk. my first son speak English very well. please 
reply with your information. 
 
i also want you to know that the money and the gold are not in Libya both 
of them are kept in different countries. i will let you know the countries 
as soon as i hear from.this my email Address (madamzinabhssann@yahoo.com) 
i will wait for your reply 
REgards 
Madam Zinab 
 
 
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