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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:
- "dear beloved," (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- This email message is a "dying widow" scam.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mrs.Mariam Johnson" <admin@zimbra7.hks-asia.com>
Reply-To: mrs.mariamjohnson@y7mail.com
Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:13:20 +0800 (SGT)
Subject: The Humanitarian Project
Dear Beloved,
I am sending you this email in good faith I am Mariam Johnson now undergoing medical treatment for cancer. I was married to Mr. Peter Johnson who worked with British embassy in Malaysia for many years before his death in 2009, we both made a deposit of some amount of money worth $9.5M in a safe deposit box with a finance institution. Recently, my Doctor told me that I have few months to live due to my illness. Having known my condition I have decided to donate this fund to you so that you can use the money for humanitarian purpose in your Country to help the less privilege while the rest goes to you and your family. With the help of my lawyer my doctor will issue you a Letter of Authority from the Court making you the Beneficiary of the deposit. Kindly indicate your interest for more details.
In His Arms.
Mrs. Mariam Johnson
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Anti-fraud resources:
