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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:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- 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:
- "remain blessed" (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
- This email message is a "dying widow" scam.
- 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.
- jelena.b.pavel@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: Jelena Bogdanovic <slobodanfarmerilic@gmail.com>
Reply-To: jelena.b.pavel@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2014 15:00:59 +0200
Subject: I wait to hear from you
Hello my dear,
My name is Mrs Jelena Bogdanovic from Ukraine and am Married to late
Mr. Bogdanovic Eugene Pavel who worked with the Total Multi-Oil
Company in Togo Western Africa before He died in the year 2011. We
were married but without any child. When my late husband was alive he
deposited the sum of $9 million USD ( Nine Million U.S Dollars) with a
bank there in Togo and this fund was meant for Charity and
humaniterian projects around the world because i and my late husband
have been Philantropists.
I am presently in a hospital where I have been undergoing treatment of
Cancer of the lungs.Please, as soon as you recieve this fund, I want
you to use 60% of this money to orphanages and to help widows and the
less previleged in the society but these humaniterian foundation must
be in my name and that of my late husband.The remaining 40% is for you
and for your good efforts and also to cover any inconveniences you
might have encountered for the sake of this noble task/assignment.
I don't need any telephone communication in this regard for now
because of my health and in respect of my doctor's advise.I will refer
you to our family lawyer once you respond to my email so that he will
guide you on how to recieve the fund from the bank there in Togo.
Please, in your reply, always contact me on this my private e-mail
address: ( jelena.b.pavel@gmail.com) so that I can send you more
information or you can send me your email address so that i will
contact you with more information on how to receive the fund.
May God bless you and your family as i wait to hear from you.
Remain blessed,
Mrs Jelena Bogdanovic.
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