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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:
- "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)
- ",000,000" (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)
- "00,000.00" (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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "KIA MOTORS COMPANY UK" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <kia.m.unit@qjg.co>
Date: Fri, 16 May 2014 01:26:45 +0530
Subject: DEAR KIA WINNER 2014
KIA MOTORS WORLDWIDE LTD
YEARS OF KIA MOTORS 2014
We Are Pleased To Announce To You That Your Email Address Emerged Alongside 4 Others As Category 2 Winners In This Year\'S Weekly Kia Car Company United Kingdom Lotto. You Have Won One Million Dollars And Have Been Approved For A Total Pay-Out Of (One Million Dollars $1,000,000.00 USD) The Following Particulars Are Attached To Your Lotto Payment Order: Winning Numbers:A-9-1-4-8-7-3 Email Ticket Number: El 754/39/65. Please Contact The Underlined Head Claim’s Officer With The Contact Via Email {kia.m.unit@qjg.co} And You Are To Fill And Submit The From Below.
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
1. Name in full:
2. Address:
3. Sex:
4. Nationality:
5. Age:
6. Occupation:
7. Phone number:
8. Present Country and state:
This information is to process the immediate payment of your prize.Kia company United Kingdom, We also encourage you to act fast.
Best Regards,
Mr( Alex Williams)
Chief Executive Officer.
KIA MOTORS COMPANY United Kingdom,
Email : (kia.m.unit@qjg.co)
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Anti-fraud resources:
