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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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: MRS VIRO V<nhrsvvro@mecabd.org >
Reply-To: virovon5@gmail.com
Date: 29 Oct 2022 06:50:28 -0700
Subject: Re: Need your help towards us..27/10/2022
Hello,
Sorry for the inconveniences my message may cause you, I am a
Ukrainian woman and I wish to totally move out of Ukraine after
the crisis. I have lost my dear husband to the cold hands of
death as a result of the war situation here. My late husband was
working in the oil and gas sector before his death.
I, with my daughters are still displaced in a refugee home and
still looking for my 2 years son. Please we need your help to
retrieve a box that my late husband deposited it in a warehouse
(Storage Room) in Turkey years ago because we were already
planning to relocate to Turkey.
I can't travel out to retrieve this box or ask that the box be
delivered to me because of current situation’s which we are
facing now. For this reason I am contacting you in great
confidence with the hope that you could help me get this money
into your country and investment into your business or any fast
yielding sector till the
crisis is over.
The entire money contained in the box is $11.7 Million US Dollars
which was profit he made from one of the oil sales before his
death. I will give you 25% of the total money as your benefit for
helping me, After the current crisis I can come and start a new
life in your country because I will not like to be their
(Ukraine) anymore because it will keep reminding me of sad
experience which will make me emotionally down because I watched
my husband die while trying to jump from the building.
I anticipate your positive response and on receipt of your
information I will provide you with further details. Please don't
ignore us at this time and also do put us/Ukrainians as whole in
prayers.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs. Viro V
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