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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.
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Helpdesk Team" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <micheal1914@live.com>
Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 10:21:41 +0200
Subject: Mailbox Upgrade
Attn: Webmail User,
This is to inform you that your mailbox will soon be de-activated by your System Administrator due to an unusual activity detected in your mailbox. We noticed that webmail account has been compromised by spammers. It seems they have gained access to webmail accounts and have been using it for illegal internet activities.
The center is currently performing maintenance and upgrading it's data base. We intend upgrading our Email Security Server for better online services hence you may not be able to receive new mail until your mailbox is upgraded. Please Click the link below to validate your mailbox and upgrade your account.
http://upgredeke.vistahosting.cn/feedback/feedback.html
If your mailbox becomes de-activated for an extended period of time, it may result in further limitations or eventual closure of your mailbox.
The information contained in this e-mail may be confidential and is intended solely for the use of the named addressee. Access, copying or re-use of the e-mail or any information contained herein by any other person is not authorized.
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Anti-fraud resources:
