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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:
- "million united state dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
- "remain blessed" (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Kasey Parker <dude_rahul_89@yahoo.co.in>
Reply-To: parker.kasey@yandex.com
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 2015 04:22:42 +0200
Subject: For Mutual Benefit
FROM: THE UBA BANK
OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA-FASO WEST AFRICA
CLAIM OF MUTUAL BENEFIT
My Dear,
I am Mr. Kasey Parker, I am the claim manager with the above bank I am writing you in respect of a total amount of Thirteen Million United State Dollars ($13 Million.) which have remain unclaimed since the past four years, I have been following up with this file and on my investigation I discovered that the original owner died along side with all his immediate families leaving no one to put a claim over the fund,
My friend we can not allow this opportunity to go by us as the claim manager of this bank and with your cooperation as a foreign partner I can guide you in the way that we both can claim this money for a mutual benefit of both of us since all claims verification and confirmations is done at my office / table we both can cooperate and claim this fund with out the notification of any other person in the bank,
I assure you 100 percent success of this claim after which I will come over to meet you for the sharing which I propose on 50/50 percent ratio.
Till I hear from you remain blessed
Mr Kasey Parker
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