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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 next of kin scam.
- This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
Fraud email example:
From: "William Fryzer" <info@online.org>
Reply-To: service122@info.al
Date: Mon, 16 May 2011 17:42:13 +0545 (NPT)
Subject: READ & DIGEST PLEASE
5/16/2011
Attn:
My name is William Fryzer, a solicitor at law. I am the personal
attorney/sole executor to the late Mr. Craig hereinafter referred to as my
client. My client and his immediate family members died in a car in East
London on the 5Th of November 2006. He was a Sub-Comptroller working with
Chevron Texaco Oil here in the United Kingdom and Left behind a deposit of
five Million Eight Hundred Thousand British Pound Sterling only
(5.8million Pound Sterling) with a bank. I have written several letters to
the embassy with intent to locate any of his extended relatives whom shall
be claimants/beneficiaries of his abandoned personal estate and all such
efforts have been to no avail.
I have professional reasons to use a legal means to present a next of kin
of my deceased client. This is legally possible and would be done in
accordance with the laws of the land. On this note I decided to search for
a credible person and finding that you are, I contact you, that with your
consent, present you to the "Trustee" as my late client's family members
as to enable you put up a claim to the bank in that capacity as a next of
kin of my client. Please get in touch with me by my alternative email
service122@info.al
Regards.
William Fryzer
Dechert LLP London
160 Queen Victoria Street
London, EC4V 4QQ
UK
Phone: +44 203 239 4943
+44 702 403 4794
Fax: +44 844 774 2671
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Anti-fraud resources:
