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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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Thabo Montana" <info@solcomjo.com>
Reply-To: thabo.montanna@yandex.com
Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2015 16:23:59 -0700
Subject: PARTNERSHIP REQUEST
Dear Sir/Madam,
I know this might not be a safe means of communication but I am left with no other option than this.
My name is Thabo Montana, the officer in charge of procurement management section of Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa. I have access to very vital information that definitely is 100% risk free,financially profitable and economically viable.
You will be entitled to 40% of the total proceeds of the transaction and am open for negotiations and detailed clarifications.
All arrangements will be made under a legitimate framework. Full details will be disclosed to you on your expression of interest.
Best Regards,
Thabo Montana
Officer-in-Charge
Corporate Procurement Section
Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa
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Anti-fraud resources:
