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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:
- "discussion of this transaction in further details" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "million 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: David Jones <djpvt2022@gmail.com>
Reply-To: djpvt2020@outlook.com
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2023 18:16:31 +0100
Subject: Good day.
Good day.
I am Mr. David Jones, an Account Manager with a named bank here in New York
United States, and I handle all our Investors capital Project Funds which
enabled me to divert 1.2 Percent Investors Excess Return Capital Funds to
our Magellan Trust Funds Account whereby anyone can be presented to claim
the funds. On this note, a total sum of US$15 Million Dollars has been
diverted representing the 1.2 Percent Excess Return Capital Funds from the
Investor Capital Project Funds for 2021/2022.
I need a reliable and trustworthy person that can work this deal out with
me so that we can claim the funds as mentioned above. There is no risk
attached and the funds in question can never be detected or traced after
claim. Our sharing ratio would be 50:50. If you are interested, please
reply and send your direct telephone numbers to me for a smooth discussion
of this transaction in further details.
Sincerely,
Mr. David Jones
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Anti-fraud resources: