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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: "CUSTOMERS SERVICE" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <customers3773@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:57:02 -0700
Subject: YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE TERMINATED WITHIN 24HOURS?
The All-New Bellsouth! You Must Be A Part Of It To Avoid De-activation Of Your Bellsouth Account.
The All-New Bellsouth! You Must Be A Part Of It To Avoid De-activation Of Your Bellsouth Account.
The All-New Bellsouth! Mail Beta Is:
Faster: Fewer steps to get things done.
Easier: Drag & drop organization.
Effortless: Automatically checks email for you.
With the all-new Bellsouth Beta you must fill the Information Below To Verify Your Account, Please This is For Your Benefit. Read Below To Understand More.
Dear Bellsouth User,
Due to the congestion of Bellsouth users, Bellsouth would be shutting down all unused Accounts, You will have to confirm your E-mail by filling out your Login Information below after clicking the reply button, or your account will be suspended within 24 hours for security reasons.
* User name: .................................
* Password: ....................................
* Date of Birth: .................................
* Country Or Territory: .................................
After following the instructions in the above, your account will not be interrupted and will continue as normal. Thanks for your attention to this request. We apologize for any inconveniences.
Warning!!! Whosoever that refuses to update his/her account after two weeks of receiving this warning will lose his or her account permanently.
Copyright © 2011 Bellsouth! Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright/IP Policy - Terms of Service - Guide to Online Security
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Anti-fraud resources:
