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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:
- "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Dr. Goodluck Johnson" <gjohnson45@btinternet.com>
Reply-To: drgjohnson1@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 08:36:11 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Dear Respected!!!
Dear Respected,
Permit me to introduce my self to you. I am Dr. Goodluck Johnson Head of Customer Care Service Shell Credit Union Savings and Loans. I found your email contact from the internet when I was going through business journal and decided to contact you and seek your cordial business relationship to execute my plans importing cars from your country.
Our customer late Ralph Robert from your country who worked with Shell Oil Company Port-Harcourt Branch Nigeria deposited this fund valued at $8.9 Million (United States Dollars) with our firm before his death in 2004 as a result of cardiac arrest and since after his death, the fund has remained unclaimed and no one has ever come forward for the fund or servicing of the account. According to banking proceedings here, by the end of this month the entire fund will be reverting to the benefit of our institution as unclaimed and abandoned fund.
I am contacting you to make a deal with you because with my position of office we can claim the fund as soon as I present you to our institution as relation to late Ralph Robert. Immediately you agreed with me I will guide you accordingly and within 7 business days we have a successful transaction and you keep 50% of the fund to your self and use the remaining 50% to buy cars and ship to me bit by bit which I will sale here and recover my own share. If is ok by you, contact me immediately with your information’s and keep this as top secret until we accomplish this deal.
Sincerely,
Dr. Goodluck Johnson.
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Anti-fraud resources:
