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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "clearance fee" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "processing fee" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mr Roger " <mr.roger2567@zohomail.com>
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2022 16:41:33 -0500
Subject: Important Notice
Dear Beneficiary
This is to inform you that right now, We are working in collaboration with the international monitoring fund (IMF) and have decided to waive away all your clearance fees/Charges and Authorize the bank to effect your compensation payment of $6.5M approved by the United Nations into your Account or ATM card. or Online Account with our bank without any hesitation. The only fee you will pay to confirm your fund is only your Processing fee to the bank.
Get back to us with your full information,
Full Name and Address
direct telephone number
I would like you to urgently respond to this message so that I can advise you on how best to confirm your funds in your account within the next 42 hours. Only if you’re ready to receive your funds,
THANKS
Mr Roger Gorman
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Anti-fraud resources:
