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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.
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Wurth Frank <alieniokemkpa99@gmail.com>
Reply-To: wurthassociatesgroup@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 25 May 2016 03:33:00 +0100
Subject: HI DEAR
My name is Mr. Wurth Frank. I got your contact details in my search for a
reliable and neutral company or individual to partner with in the area of
investment. I need your assistance to manage an investment fund in any
profitable business in your country. I know this mail might come to you as
surprise because we neither know each other nor have ever met but accept it
with an open and positive mind. Do get back to me, details will be related
to you. In your reply please tell me more about yourself and include your
telephone number for easy communication.
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Anti-fraud resources:
