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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "deadline" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "HM Revenue - Online Services" (may be fake)
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 15:16:18 +0200
Subject: Tax Refund
Dear customer,
We inform you that we have not yet received your part
the "Certification Form" duly completed nor the
supporting documentation.
Complete the form on-line security in the format (ZIP.file) attached
to this e-mail
Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 1-3 days in order to process it.
A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons. As example, for submitting invalid records or applying over the deadline.
Thank you for choosing our service.
HM Revenue & Customs: Online Services
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Anti-fraud resources:
