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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 friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "consignment " (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)
- "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "dahiru_bako56@outlook.com" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Dahiru Bako <sayid.m2009@gmail.com>
Reply-To: dahiru_bako56@outlook.com
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2015 12:43:56 -1200
Subject: I WILL NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE
Dear friend,
I need your help to move a consignment containing $8.5 million and gold
from Africa to your country. You will have 40% of the fund and gold value
after the deal is successfully done. 5% shall be set aside to cover all
expenses incurred to execute the deal and the remaining shall be for my
investment capital.
If you are capable of handling this deal, contact me immediately for
details and instruction. I need to know if i can count on you. Send your
reply through this E-mail only: dahiru_bako56@outlook.com
I want to let you know that this is very urgent and confidential, I shall
explain better after i receive a positive reply from you. Thanks for your
cooperation in advance.
Best Regards
Dahiru Bako
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Anti-fraud resources:
