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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:
- "the consignment" (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)
- "consignment " (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: Pavel Dumitru <dstartup004@gmail.com>
Reply-To: dstartup04@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 05 Feb 2020 11:05:07 +1100
Subject: TRUSTEE ( Greetings to you):
Greetings to you,
It is my pleasure to contact you regarding this offer, which I hope you wil=
l be able to assist out. I am the United High Commission for Refugee(UNHCR=
) protection clerk at the Oncupinar Refugee Camp here in on the Syrian-Turk=
ish border in Kilis, Turkey. =
I have been approached by Maysaa Shehab and her sick mother who are From Sy=
ria to assist them look for a reliable Trustee to act on behalf of the f=
amily and invest their family funds. Maysaa Shehab has given us the righ=
t to look for a TRUSTEE to receive the consignment and help them invest in=
a more peaceful and stable ECONOMY. =
I will tell you more about the family who is eager to start a new life due =
to the war in Syria. I have attached to this email my International Passpor=
t. We are serious about this offer and we are keen to know of your interest=
. =
I will be waiting for your prompt response if you will be willing to help t=
he family to invest the fund.
Regards,
Pavel Dumitru
Protection Clerk (UNHCR) =20
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Anti-fraud resources:
