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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 pounds" (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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: presjonathan@myway.com
Reply-To: keithfrankmer@gmail.com
Date: Sun, 02 Aug 2015 01:19:19 +0000
Subject: SOMETHING THAT MATERS TO YOU.
As the former president of Nigeria, i deemed it necessary to set-up my private investment abroad because the newly elected government is opposition party and they are doing everything within their capacity to tarnish my parties achievement over the years. This blessed nation 'Nigeria' has been greatly criticized in international business but the fact remains that many countries cannot do without Nigeria, Oh Yes, a lot of manufacturers worldwide cannot make profit without locating a buyer / major distributor from Nigeria.
I have moved the sum of Thirty Seven Million Pounds Sterling for my private investment abroad because i must relocate my family and my close relations within a month henceforth. I need your partnership to receive the 37M-GBP as an investment funds while we channel it into lucrative investments in your nation and manage the investment together. You benefit will be 25% of the total amount which makes this opportunity a very huge one for you. I await your reply with your complete personal details for immediate commencement.
Respectively,
President Goodluck Jonathan
Former President of the Nigeria (FGN).
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Anti-fraud resources:
