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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:
- "million 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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Eric Kipkalya" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <erickip1985@googlemail.com>
Date: Tue, 24 May 2011 07:27:12 +0200
Subject: Greetings
Hello
Please I appeal to you to exercise a little patience and read my mail as I am writing to you with due respect trust and humanity.
My name is Eric Kipkalya, 25yrs old Male from Kenya in East Africa and the son of former Kenyan road Minister who died along with his Assistant Minister of Home Affairs Lorna Laboso on a plan crash in a remote area called Kajong'a, in western Kenya on Tues 10th, June, 2008.
You can read more about the crash through the below site:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/06/10/kenya.crash/index.html
Presently I am in United Kingdom where I came through sea with the help of a Ship Captain after the discovery one faithful morning I opened my late father's briefcase and found out the documents which he deposited $5.8 Million United States Dollars in one bank in London with my name as the next of kin so I decided to fine my way here without any one knowledge if I can withdraw the money for a better life so that I can take care of myself and start a new life since after my father burial my step-Mother and uncle conspired and sold my father's property to an Italian Expertrate and shared the money among themselves and live nothing for me.
On my arrival to the bank here in London the Bank Director who responded to me told me that my father's instruction in his will to the bank was that the money would only be release to me when I present a trustee who will help me and invest the money so I should bring my trustee or tell him or her to contact them then they can release the money to me.
I have chosen to contact you after my prayers and I believe that you will be the right person to help me and will not betray my trust and well convinced that you may be the true person to help me to get this my inheritance fund from my father.
I will give you 30% of the total money and the balance shall be my capital for investment in any establishment you will advise me, and you will help by recommending a nice University in your country so that I can complete my studies.
I wait your positive response to tell you more about me and know each other better then proceed further.
Eric Kipkalya
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