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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found 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: "Mr. Eric omar" <he.fo175283147@gmail.com>
Reply-To: er_omar01@yahoo.com
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2014 12:13:00 +0200
Subject: CAN WE PROCEED?
Dear friend,
Compliment of the day. My name is Mr. Eric omar, I work in the
computer and file department in the one the reputable banks here in
Ouagadougou Burkina Faso.
I am contacting you regarding a venture through which we both can come
on a substantial amount of money. I believe with your assistance we
can receive the investments / deposits of my deceased customer.
Should you agree to proceed with me to claim the (6.2mus$) as the
beneficiary; you will be compensated with 50% of the total sum for
your kind assistance to champion the investment project in your
country. Reply me an urgent email and fill the information below for
more details on how we are going to proceed.
[1] Full Names :......
[2] Your phone/fax number : .........
[3] Your residential address. : ....
[4] Yours age:
[5] Your occupation :
Sincerely
Mr. Eric omar.
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Anti-fraud resources:
