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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:
- "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- "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)
- "00,000.00" (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)
- "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: James Earl <dhs.org2017@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2022 13:31:06 -0800
Subject: Attention: Beneficiary.
Dear Sir/Madam,
US$11,300,000.00 (Eleven Million Three Hundred Thousand United States
Dollars) has been approved by the Federal Reserve Bank in conjunction with
the World bank as compensation to all persons that had failed transactions
as a result of the Federal Reserve Bank blockage of floating funds at the
period. The fund has increased tremendously over a period of time, which
prompted the World Bank monitoring committee to mandate the Federal REserve
Bank to pay compensation to such victims.
I do not know if you have had any failed transactions in the past but I was
asked to send out emails to those that were affected hence I contacted you.
The fund is ready to be released in seventy two hours {72hrs} and my major
aim of contacting you is to ask you if you will accept that I use your
details to secure the compensation fund in your account since I am in a
position to do that and we can share.
This fund is ready to be credited, all I need from you are your full name,
direct telephone number and your address and I will get the Federal Reserve
Bank Fund approval in your favor which will allow the payment bank to
credit your account with the fund.
NOTE: We need to move swiftly as things are quite urgent. I can guarantee
you that the procedure is 100% risk free and the transfer of the fund to
your account will be hitch free. Get back to me urgently.
James Earl.
Compensation coordinator.
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Anti-fraud resources:
