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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:
- "storage 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. Gregory John" <support@adlogic.hu>
Reply-To: allstatecourierinc0@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2023 18:41:55 +0200
Subject: ABOUT YOUR PACKAGE DELIVERY
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Hello
This is All State Courier Inc brings to your notice that a package was
brought to our custody by Apple Courier Inc to be deliver to you which
you are to furnish us with the delivery requirement such your current
mailing address and full receiver name/ cell phone number and we demand
for our storage fee which is $25 to enable us proceed with the delivery.
Mean while you are to purchase a gift card for the storage fee such as
steam wallet gift card or Apple iTune gift card $25 for the needed fee
and you are to send a clear copy of the gift card to us in the email for
the immediate delivery of the package to you.
Best Regards
Mr. Gregory John
All State Courier, Inc.
Address: 1220 L St NW, Washington, DC 20005, United States
Email: allstatecourierinc@concealed.company
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Anti-fraud resources:
