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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "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)
- "hundred thousand 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)
- "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: geraldine Adams <geraldine44love@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 5 Jun 2011 00:46:27 +0100 (BST)
Subject: HELLO SOMETHING ABOUT ME.
Hello,
Hopefully my mail
will find you in good health condition.
I
am sorry for my worry towards you with proposal on my search
for
serious relationship with you.
I registered here my satisfaction in
knowing you and i am really delighted for you. I know you would be
surprised to read from someone relatively unknown to you before. Really i
was impress to communicate to you after reading your profile on web
site with believe that it take one a day to meet a God fearing one. Do
not get yourself confuse why i
am writing you this mail. It is my
pleasure communicating with you for the first time and
believing that
it will lead to a better relationship between us .
Brief
introduction. My name is Miss Geraldine Adams.
I'm single and i
never married before, I am 5"7 tall, 23 years old.
I'm a medical
student but
i have not yet completed my educational
career as result of some
political and bad government we had which
lead to war in my home
country.
I am from Rwanda but presently staying in Senegal under
asylum due
to this problems and crises that has displace my entire
relatives and
left my parents to death.
I managed to make my
escape only by God's special grace with the help of
united nation
peacemaking to a nearby country Senegal where i am leaving
currently.
My
late beloved father Dr. Adams West was a successful business man
known as Adam's Industrial private Foam & Dunlop company who was
killed by rebels during the last crisis in my country respectively my
mother name Sheila Adams.
Please permit me to inform you my mind,
because i have made up my mind to write to you this way. Never be
offended for me because i felt to
make a good friendship or even more than a friend with you.
Briefly,
I will like to disclose much to you if you can help me to relocate to
your country with the substance that i inherited from my late beloved
parents. I have legal certificate statement of bank deposit of total
sum $4.5 million dollars ( FOUR MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED
STATES DOLLARS ) My late beloved father deposited this sum amount in
Finance house legally under my name as the next of kin and all the
original legal papers that covering this money is currently with me .
Please,
i am honorably soliciting your kind assistance as follows.
1. To
provide where this money will be transferred into.
2. To serve as the
guardian to my inherited money.
3.To make arrangement for me in your
country to continue my
educational career and to procure me a
residential permit in your country which will enable me to
relocate.I wish to live the rest of my life in your position and
invest with
this money under your care and management if you can help
me with your
good statue to claim this reasonable amount of
money deposited by my late father when he was alive.
I believe
with the directives from the god that you are reliable person and will
never betray me when this money transfers to your position. As soon as i
join you i will further my Education then you will be investing with
the money till i finish my schooling Carrier.
I so much believe that
distance and color has nothing to do with us.I have no problems with age
difference between.Hope my ugly life details will not become a barrier
in our further
communication ?
I pray god to shower his
countless blessing upon you as i look forward to hear from you soon .
From
Geraldine Adams.
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