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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:
- "western union" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
Fraud email example:
From: Katherine Houston <kwhouston@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: Katherine Houston <kwhouston@outlook.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 06:07:51 -0700
Subject: Urgent: Need Help
Sorry to bother
you with this, I took a urgent visit to Ukraine to see my sick cousin
who is suffering from a critical Uterine fibroid and must undergo a
hysterectomy surgery to save her life. The news of her illness arrived
to me as an emergency, she's going through a lot of pain at the moment
and she needs family support to keep her going.
The
doctors have advised that it is necessary that the tumor is operated
soon to avoid any complications. I hope you understand my plight and
pardon me.The estimate for the Hysterectomy surgery is $9,000. I have
already spent approx. $6,200 cash towards her treatment so am wondering
if you can assist me with a loan of $2,800 to make the necessary
arrangement for the surgery to be carried out.
Your
help and support will give her a chance to live a normal life once
again. I will surely pay you back as soon as I return. I will appreciate
whatever you can help me with. Kindly let me know if you can be of help
so I can send you my western union details since I cannot operate my
bank account from here.
Regards
Katherine Houston
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