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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:
 -  "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: Alfonso Williams <linfons.william@r7.com> 
Reply-To: linfons.william@aol.com 
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2014 00:20:43 -0300 
Subject: Re: Rsp sir 
 
Hello dearest 
 
Please permit our introduction. I am Alfonso Williams and my sister   
name is Linda. I am 19 years old while my little sister is 15 years   
old. We are from Republic of Sierra Leone.  We want to do investment   
in your country and at the same time further our education. We are   
writing to seek your kind help and advice. I found your contact   
address through my late father's international business directory and   
I decided to contact you to seek your kind assistance in helping us to   
relocate to your country for further studies and for investment of the   
money we inherited from our late father. We lost our parents few   
months ago in a ghastly motor accident. My mother died instantly when   
the accident happened but my father sustained a very severe injury   
which resulted to his untimely death four days after he was rushed   
down to a private hospital. May there soul rest in perfect peace. My   
late father spent his whole life in the building and construction   
industry as an engineer. Shortly before this unfortunate incident, my   
father had informed me about an important business deal he had   
executed with some of his colleagues in the office. He told me that he   
diverted some money totaling eight million three hundred thousand   
dollars which they realized from the execution of some government   
contracts that was awarded to them. He told me that he deposited the   
money in the bank in Abidjan Cote dIvoire. 
 
Now we want to finally relocate to your country with this money so   
that we can invest it properly and further our education. We are now   
in Abidjan Cote dIvoire and have succeeded in locating the bank   
where my late father deposited the money and have identified ourselves   
properly and also informed them about the sad fate my family had   
suffered. All the efforts we made to have the money were not fruitful   
because of our age, limited status and the conditions attached to the   
deposit. The bank said that my late father deposited the money in   
their bank escrow account for safe keep. We will need your help in the   
following ways, to help us stand as our guardian and as our late   
father's overseas business partner over this money so that the bank   
will release and transfer the money to you and also bring us over to   
your country to continue our college education and then make   
arrangement for a good business investment which you will invest with   
the money on our behalf. I hope with your help we will have the money   
successfully transferred to your bank account and we will have a   
better life to live in your country under your guardianship. 
 
It is true that we do not know you in person but i pray and hope that   
you have it in your heart to assist us with all sincerity and honesty.   
You will guild us and invest the money and manage the investment until   
we are capable. Please if you can help us, i will want you to send   
your contact information that the bank can use to contact you so that   
i can make your name available to the bank as our guardian overseas   
that will receive the money on our behalf. We are willing to give you   
any amount which you will wish to have after receiving the money in   
your safe bank account. Thank you and May God bless you and your   
family as you help us achieve our dream of relocating to your country   
to start a new life and further our education under your guardianship. 
 
Sincerely 
Alfonso and Linda 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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