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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 us 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)
- "hundred thousand united states 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)
- This email message is a next of kin scam.
Fraud email example:
From: Mr Alfieri Morgan <mralfieri09@gmail.com>
Reply-To: mralfieri@yandex.com
Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 22:15:47 +0100
Subject: Please accept my apologies for writing you a surprise letter.
Compliments of the season,
Please accept my apologies for writing you a surprise letter.
I am Mr.Alfieri Morgan, an accounts Manager with an investment bank here in
Burkina Faso.
I have a very important business that i want to discuss with you.
There is a draft account opened in my firm by a long-time client of our
bank and I have the opportunity of transferring the left over fund (8.5
Million US Dollars) Eight Million Five Hundred Thousand United States
Dollars of one of my Bank's client Mr. Bao Zhi a Chinese citizen and
Business Merchant in Africa who died along with his entire family in a
ghastly car accident here in June 2011 and since then no claim has been
placed on his bank account balance.
I want to transfer these funds out of this country to your bank account to
invest this funds and introduce you to our bank for this Transaction. You
shall present yourself as the Business associate and caretaker to the late
BAO ZHI and his properties. All I require is your honest co-operation and I
guarantee you that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement
that will protect us from any breach of the law.
Furthermore i will advise that you keep this as a (TOP SECRET) only between
the two of us.
As for your Benefits, 40% of this money will be for you as my foreign
partner and for your cooperation in this transaction, 50% will be for me
while 10% is for the establishment of a foundation in the name of Late BAO
ZHI for the less privileged and Orphans in your country.
If you agree and you are interested in my proposals then further details of
the Transfer will be forwarded to you as soon as I receive your email and
willingness for a successful transfer.
Yours Sincerely,
Mr.Alfieri Morgan
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