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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:
- "can i trust you?" (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: Laurena Fitz <tomperry@blueyonder.co.uk>
Reply-To: aaajelu@yahoo.com
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2015 08:26:09 -0800
Subject: Re: OK Ready
How are you? hope fine.Please I apologize for any inconvenience my
email may cause you because we don't know each other before. I believe
with good understanding and trust we can create a genuine
relationship. My name is Miss Laurena Fitz. Please I want you to
become my legal guardian or investment partner as wished by my late
father to receive my inheritance fund of US$10.5 Million U.S , I need
you to help me relocate to your country for good investments and to
continue my education. I am all alone here now.
Please can I trust you? I want you to assure me that you will not
betray the trust i have on you , Its about my life and my future and
safety of my funds, i will pay you 20% of my funds ,
Sincerely,
Miss Laurena Fitz
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Anti-fraud resources:
