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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Rachid Yacouba <guira.idris005@gmail.com>
Reply-To: r.yacouba@hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2023 12:56:50 +0000
Subject: I intend to make this inquiry from you
Dear Friend,
My name is Mr. Rachid Yacouba: a banker by profession and I have a
proposal for you concerning to a transaction worth the sum of
US$10,350,000.00 for you to handle with me and there is a golden
opportunity for you to claim and transfer this abandoned fund to your
bank account in your country which belongs to our deceased client.
I am inviting you in this transaction where the money will be shared
between us at the ratio of 50% for me and 40% for you while 10% will
be used to settle for any outstanding expenses during the cause of
this transaction after completion and also help the needy around us so
you do not need to be afraid of any negativity because I am with you
and I will guide you on how to go about reclaiming the fund from the
bank here.
Please kindly get back to me if you are interested, for more details.
Best regards,
Mr. Rachid Yacouba
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Anti-fraud resources:
