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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)
- "enocksalehp@hotmail.co.za" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Enock" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <otionprm01@mail.ru>
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:26:18 +0200
Subject: FROM ENOCK
I am writing this email to you in all honesty and believing that you are conversant of the happenings in my home country Libya. My name is Enock Saleh and during the period of 2006-2011, I had worked at the finance department of the petroleum and gas company of Libya. I was directly involved in the sales of the country crude oil and made several funds from oil contract payments under the dictatorship of Muammar Muhammad Al-Gaddafi who is the leader of the Libyan people. I had to defect to South Africa during the Libyan Civil War earlier this year because of the uprising caused by the Rebels and the fact that I believed in what they stood for.
I was able to make over Twenty one Million United States Dollars which I was able to move to South Africa through diplomatic services and I have been able to keep the funds in a secret vault of a private depository security firm.
My exile cannot make me do a lot of things in Libya but as a foreign national, I know you can help me right now move these funds out of South Africa for investments purposes.
I have presently applied for political asylum here in South Africa, but because of the soft stand on Gaddafi and his regime by the South African leader and the African Union, I cannot expose myself and the funds, hence I urgently need you to stand as my foreign partner and move the funds out of South Africa to your account.
Please contact me on my email address below.
Enock Saleh
E-mail: enocksalehp@hotmail.co.za
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Anti-fraud resources:
