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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:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- 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 us 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)
- "central bank of nigeria" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- mrgodwinemefiele662@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE" <emefiele662@gmail.com>
Reply-To: mrgodwinemefiele662@gmail.com
Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2015 03:32:17 +0200
Subject: GOOD DAY.
FROM THE OFFICE OF MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE.
CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA C.B.N
Based on the meeting we have with United Nations and IMF officials on
your payment, am writing to inform you that your files appeared on our
desk to pay you a partial payment of $10.5million US Dollars of
your funds for this First quarter of the year.
But we are having misunderstanding because one Ms.Carman Lapointe
called yesterday that she is your new next of kin that you instructed
her to receive the funds on your favor that you are totally sick and
you can not work or answer any calls.
But we were so confuse that is why the authority instructed me to
contact you for us to know if she is telling us the truth or not.
After he providing account to us, he instructed us not to inform
you and we should transfer the funds into his account directly because
she is your next of kin.
Kindly check this and inform us if we can go ahead and transfer the
funds into his account. We wait to hear from you soon.
MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE.
Email: mrgodwinemefiele662@gmail.com
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Anti-fraud resources:
