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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:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- 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:
- "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "hundred thousand 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)
- "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
- This email message is a next of kin scam.
- This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- anitafew@workmail.co.za (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: Anita Few <global@coordinationrurale.fr>
Reply-To: Anita Few <anitafew@workmail.co.za>
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2015 12:55:10 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: Information
12.00
From:
The Desk of Group General Manager
Amalgamated
Bank of South Africa (Absa Bank)
45
Rivonia Road Sandton Johannesburg
South
Africa
Attn: Sir/Madam,
This
is a personal email directed to you and I will like
you to treat it as such. I am Group General Manager Amalgamated Bank of South
Africa (Absa) and personal accountant to my late
client who bears the same last name with you who died in plane crash in
2005. He has an investment bank account valued to the tune of (Eighteen
Million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars) and the account is dormant
I have tried to locate any of his relative but all my effort is in vain.
Furthermore, Bank Board of Directors has mandated me to look for
next of kin hence I am his personal accountant and I want to present you as
next of kin to deceased person hence both of you share the same surname and he
die with his next of kin and I will use my virtue power as branch manager to
approve the fund on your behalf as next of kin to deceased person without
further investigations and the fund can be invested in your country into a
lucrative business venture.
Finally, this is 100% risk free business transaction that will
benefit both of us after the actualization of this transaction. I will offer
you 40% of the total money and 10% will be for any expenses that might occur
during the transfer and 50% will be for me. I could have done this business
alone but the fund cannot be approved with local bank and it can only be
approve for foreign account because my late client was a foreigner. I will like
to have your mobile number for easy communication in your reply.
Thanks
and looking ahead in hearing from you
Ms.
Anita Few
Email: anitafew@workmail.co.za
Group
General Manager (Absa bank)
Tel:
+27717647139
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