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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:
- ",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)
- "loan amount" (Beware of fake loan offers. Real lenders would not normally use free webmail addresses such as Yahoo, nor would they lend to individuals or small businesses in a different country from where they are based. Beware of mobile phones or redirector numbers!)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Mrs Gabriela <info@link.com.br>
Reply-To: microf170@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 01:26:54 -0500
Subject:
--
Greetings,
Micro & Loan Services located in south American Ecuador, invite you to Partner with us and benefit in our new Loan and Project funding program. We
Offer flexible loans and funding for various projects by passing the usual
Rigorous procedures. This Funding program allows a client to enjoy low
Interest payback for as low as 3% for a period of 1-10 years.
We can approve a loan/funding for up to USD 500,000,000.00 or more depending
On the nature of business. We are currently funding for:
* Starting up a Franchise
* Business Acquisition
* Business Expansion
* Commercial Real Estate purchase
* Contract Execution
We are open to having a good business relationship with you. If you think you
Have a solid background and idea of making good profit in any venture,
Please do not hesitate to contact us for possible business co-operation.
Kindly email back with the below Information for more details:
(1)Full Name--------
(2)Loan Amount-------
(3)Loan Duration------
Sincerely.
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Anti-fraud resources:
