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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:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- 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:
- "dear beneficiary," (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- jfrank0frb@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Janet Lee" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <jfrank0frb@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2011 15:52:02 -0800
Subject: FEDERAL RESERVE[FUNDS REMITTANCE]3
Dear Beneficiary,
I hope that this correspondence is received with the urgency and
expediency required.
It has come to the notice of the Board of Trustees at the FEDERAL RESERVE
Bank that your present inheritance claims application being handled by
the Remitting Bank in the United States is experiencing some man made
irregularities. To this effect, it has become necessary for the Board of
Trustees to invite trained Fund Transfer Specialists in the United
States to resolve and regularize your fund release with immediate
effect.
We at Janet Lee & Associates have been duly consulted by the FEDERAL
RESERVE Bank Board of Trustees and have been fully informed about how the
staffs of the remitting bank has been taking advantage of you by telling
you to pay unnecessarily exorbitant charges which will only make your
fund payment a long drawn out process.
Due to this we have decided to step into the process of your fund
transfer to enable your funds to be transferred within the soonest
possible time you are to get back to us Immediately. All processes to
have your funds paid to you immediately through the FEDERAL RESERVE
BANK's Liaison remittance Office in Washington we have been initiated to
cut out unnecessary costs.
You are advised to keep this communication highly confidential as the
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK Board of Trustees have asked us to resolve this
fund payment independent of the office of the FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
Director to identify the principal participants in this unethical payment
procedure.
We shall await your immediate correspondence with your direct telephone
numbers for re-confirmation to my confidential email address at
(jfrank0frb@gmail.com) so that we may conclude your payment immediately.
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs.Janet Lee.
Janet Lee & Associates
c/o FEDERAL RESERVE BANK.
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