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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.
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Malcolm Brown" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <malcolmbrown@post.com>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 07:51:34 +0100
Subject: Re: From Malcolm Brown
Hi Dear,
It is a fact that we have not met before neither have we had any previous business dealings, but with understanding and trust, we can have a successful business relationship. I am a principal staff with Oil & Gas Company {BG GROUP} in United Kingdom. I have access to very vital information that can be used to transfer funds i made from crude oil deals out of the project account to any secured account you may provide outside United Kingdom. I have the required machinery to get it done since I am still in active service. If it was possible for me to do it alone, i would not have bothered soliciting for foreign support. Ultimately, i need an honest foreigner to play an important role in the completion of this business deal. I look forward to doing business with you and please treat as confidential .
I anticipate your indication of interest to partner with me.
Sincerely
Malcolm Brown
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Anti-fraud resources:
