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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:
- "with your full names" (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: "Cullen Bekker" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <cullenbekker@yahoo.pt>
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2015 04:45:20 -0700
Subject: Capital Flight
Dearest Confidant,
I take the liberty to introduce myself first to you. My Name is Cullen Bekker, and I represent a group of high profile individuals from Nigeria who intends to invest in properties and other viable areas of investment that have a high return on investment (ROI).
We are desirous to make you our foreign partner/funds manager in this endeavour in the investment of a large sum of money.
I am seeking your assistance in securing these funds into a safe account for future investment purposes but requiring maximum confidentiality because of the people involved.
On favorable response from you, I shall be at liberty to do the following.
1. Explain to you in bare terms the source of funds.
2. Who my clients are and why we decided to sought your assistance.
3. What percentage of the funds would accrue to you as a partner in this project.
Kindly respond with your full names, private phone and fax numbers for easier and faster communication.
Yours Truly
Cullen Bekker
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Anti-fraud resources:
