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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "million 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)
- "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- This email message is a "dying widow" scam.
Fraud email example:
From: AF200 <agisdmel@cantv.net>
Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2010 01:03:59 -0800 (PST)
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?From=3A_Mrs_fran=E7oise_Bigirimana/ur?=
From: Mrs françoise Bigirimana/ur
Dearest one
I thank you in the name of the Lord.
My name is Mrs françoise Bigirimana a citizen of Rep of Burundi,
I am asking you for an assistance.I am a widow with a female child (daughter)
I fell sick seven years ago after the death of my husband Engineer Alex Bigirimana an Aerocraft
Engineer who died in a plane crash year 2001.
This sickness brought my health to a miserable condition
paralising and dumb , since then I have been living on
wheelchair and under Medicines which is costing me 400 Euro
every two weeks.
Some months ago I ran away from My country Burundi with my only
daughter to
(UK) After a nurse in the hospital
reveal a secret to me that my situation was caused by my late
husband Relations who wanted to kill me and my daughter to take
my late husband riches after they have taken all he has in Burundi. I am now staying in a
hospital in UK taking treatments.
My late husband Deposited the sum of $9.5 Million Dollars(Nine
Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars) in a prime bank in EUROPE
I have contacted the bank for withdrawal and they ask me to present the beneficiary of the money
whom they will transfer the money to
his/her account according to the agreement bond they made with my late husband at the time of
deposit of the money.
The agreement stated that my husband foreign partner is the beneficiary while my daughter is
the next of kin to the depositor and the money should be transfer to the beneficiary account for
investment .
This reason is why i need your assistance to come and represent as my Late
Husband foreign Partner to enable the bank transfer the money to you account in your
country.
After the transfer of the money you will take my daughter with you to your country for her to
continue her education while you invest the rest of the money for her after
you might have removed your own percentage.
I dont think that I will be able to come with my daughter to
your country because my doctor here have told me that i have a
little time to stay in my life .
1)Please Promise me that you are going to adopt her as yours
2) You will sincerely handle her investment without cheating.
3) You will always be his father, mother and sister.
I will give you more detail as soon as you are interested to
assist us. The money is a vital inheritage that I will not disclose with you until I see that
you're eager to assist us.
Waiting for your urgent reply
Yours Respectfully
Mrs Françoise Bigirimana
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