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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 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.
Fraud email example:
From: "Kelvin Hawk" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mryz0021@yahoo.co.jp>
Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2014 06:03:15 -0800
Subject: Please Read and Reply..
Hello ,
I have previously sent you an email; please confirm the receipt of this mail due to the urgency of this matter. If you are not in a position to act at the moment kindly advice immediately. After a careful review, we decided to contact you.We got your contact detail from our online search for a trustworthy partner,
We are of the opinion that a reputable and trustworthy partner like you is required in order for us to carry out this transaction.
I represent a politician currently seeking means of expanding his business interest.
He is capable of providing investment funding for New and existing company under a healthy working agreement capable of providing attractive returns on investment (ROI) of between 20%- 35% within few years of operation.
Please note that pre-qualification investment prerequisite is for new businesses with projects investments funding requirements of $1Million to $50 million Dollars.
For further information and expression of interest, please contact me as soon as
possible.
Mr. Kelvin Hawk
Business Development Manager
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Anti-fraud resources:
