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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:
- "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Sonia Wilson" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <soniawilson550@e-mail.ua>
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:55:57 -0500
Subject: Urgent Response Needed.
MY NAME IS SONIA WILSON FROM OHIO,USA PRESENTLY RECEIVING TREATMENT HERE IN
GERMANY. I'M A DYING WOMAN WHO HAS DECIDED TO DONATE HER INHERITANCE TO CHARITY
AS I HAVE REALIZED THAT EVERYTHING IN LIFE IS VANITY. I AM 58 YEARS OLD AND I WAS
DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER ABOUT 7 YEARS AGO IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DEATH OF
MY LATE HUSBAND WHO LEFT ME EVERYTHING HE WORKED FOR AS I INHERITED $8.6M DOLLARS.
I HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY GOD TO DONATE ALL I HAVE INHERITED FROM MY LATE HUSBAND
TO CHARITY AS MY DOCTOR HAVE ADVISED THAT I HAVE LESS THAN 3 MONTHS TO LIVE, I WANT
YOU TO ACT AS AN ADMINISTRATOR OF THIS CHARITY. THE FUNDS IS DEPOSITED WITH A
SECURITY COMPANY IN IL,USA. ON YOUR RESPONSE I WILL GIVE YOU DETAILS ON HOW YOU CAN
CLAIM THIS FUND AND ALSO A LIST OF CHARITIES I HAVE SHORTLISTED FOR DONATIONS AND ALSO
YOU CAN ADD TO THAT LIST. SONIA WILSON
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Anti-fraud resources:
