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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: "Mr. Thomas Smith" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <tsmith5881@e-mail.ua>
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:02:10 +0100
Subject: Read & Respond Urgently.
FROM: THOMAS SMITH
DIRECTOR GENERAL.
WORLD FUND DISCOVERY MANAGEMENT AND PAYMENT BUREAU.
This letter is from World Fund Discovery Management And Payment Bureau newly invented by the World Financial Service Authority United States Of America/United Kingdom.
This body was set up to discover an outstanding unpaid fund being owned to Governments or individuals all over the world through Contract payment,Inheritance and Lottery Winning Prize
Awards.
It will interest you to know that we have discovered an outstanding unpaid/unclaimed sum of money in favor of your name and a mandate has been given to this body World Fund Discovery Management And
Payment Bureau to ensure that this fund gets to you without any delay.
Note that a special payment arrangement has been made to deliver this fund to you through diplomatic means of payment or Alternatively come in person to any of our payment Offices in Europe or Asia.
You are advised to furnish this office with your contact information your Full Name,Contact Address,Personal Telephone/Mobile Number to enable us open up communication with you regarding the release of your fund immediately.
Thanks.
Yours Truly,
Mr. Thomas Smith,
Director.
World Fund Discovery Management And Payment Bureau.
E-mail: tsmith5881@e-mail.ua
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Anti-fraud resources:
