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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "my direct telephone number" (a "direct line" in a scam usually means an untraceable mobile phone number used by a scammer in an internet cafe, a redirection service number that forwards to a mobile or a free voicemailbox in a different country.)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: UMOA WEST AFRICA <umoaofficelagos@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2015 16:08:50 +0100
Subject: Very good opportunity
Hello Friend,
My Name is Diabate Sanko from Ivoiry Coast in West Africa. I Work in a
bank and I need your urgent help to transfer and invest these funds
of ($9.5 Million USD) in your country. I will reward you with a reasonable
amount after the transaction. If you are interested, please reply back for
more detail and information on how the transaction will be executed.
My direct telephone number is so you can call me: +22546295146
Best regards,
Diabate Sanko
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Anti-fraud resources:
