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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:
- "the consignment" (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)
- "consignment " (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)
- "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: From Mrs Madalen Nguessan <mnnguessan@att.net>
Reply-To: madalennguessan@cantv.net
Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 09:04:52 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Good Day to you.
Good Day to you.
It is my pleasure to contact you for a business Investment which I want you to handle for me in your country.
I am madalen Nguessan a widow wife of late Chief Micheal Nguessan .My late husband was a Gold & Diamond merchant untill he was assassinated by enemies sent to him by his business associate because of his wealth, since the death of my husband I and my only child have suffer too much as my late husband family took over all my husband asets but I thanks God because there is this sum of ($12.500.000.00) Twelve Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Of America Dollars which my late husband packed in a consignment box and deposited with a security & finance company in abidjan cote d'Ivoire (ivory coast) and my late husband family has no idea of the money because he wanted to invest in abidjan before death took him away from me. he deposited the consignemt in the security company and told them that the content is important family valuable for unward delivery to his foriegn business partner.
I want you to help me to contact this company as my late husband foriegn business partner so that the ownership of the consignment will be transfer to your name which will enable us to have the consignment delivery to you as i want us to invest the money outside africa now so that I and my son will relocate to your country for a better life and for my son to continue his education.
I will like us to invest part of the fund into any of these four investment in your Country but,if there is any other business that is better than what I am suggesting here, I will be very glad to follow your advice.I and my son is in abidjan now and i am recieving treatment because of my health condition.
(1). Real estate
(2). The transport industry
(3). Five star hotel
(4) private school
If you can be of an assistance to me, I will be pleased to offer to you 25% Of the total sum for your assistance.
I hope to receive your urgent reply.
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs madalen Nguessan
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