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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:
- "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- 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.
- zainebmousa15@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Sgt.Zaineb Mousa" <lucio.paola@alice.it>
Reply-To: sgtzaineb@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2015 14:13:34 +0100 (CET)
Subject: Attention. Please the lawful beneficiary.
INTERNATIONAL POLICE (INTERPOL)
Rue 67 Interpol Europe Agency Paris.
The Truth About Your Funds
Attention. Please the lawful beneficiary.
I felt expedient to write and inform you on the wicked conspiracy hatched by
the duo of JUSTICE T.Y Waziri and Mr. Lanre Williams of the Ministry of Finance
and some of the Finance Ministry staffs with numerous fake names to divert your
money to their designated account in Europe.
>From my position as a lowly clerk in this office, I discovered that they moved
the fund from Africa to London, UK and then moved it last week to Banco
Italiano in ITALY. Today I found out through the entral computer database that
they are about to re-route back your fund to a security company in USA. With
this, I felt that it is important for me to alert you on this development that
the departments of homeland security USA are holding the monies for
clarifications.
They are still using your name and contract won /inheritance compensation
identification number as the beneficiary but they have changed the account co-
ordinate and this is the reason they are frustrating you by asking for endless
fees in other to buy time pending on when they will transfer your funds to
their designated account in Cayman Islands.
I have the reference number of the transaction and also I have the number of
the official who is directly in charge at the SECURITY VAULT of department of
homeland security in USA where the funds is present on-hold. Your payment is
supposed to go through the International credit control financial clearing
house before finally put into the SECURITY VAULT of department of homeland
security in there in USA on-hold for clarifications. All the data about your
claim profile are within my reach. I do not need gratification from you either
in cash or kind. I can never be a part of evil.
Please respect my discretion in this matter, you can send an email
(zainebmousa15@gmail.com) to me so that I can give you the reference number and
the name and contact information of the officials of the SECURITY VAULT of
Department of homeland security in USA.
I repeat, please do not expose my person, it is not easy to get jobs around
here and I cannot contend With these powerful individuals because they can
eliminate me just like that.
I waited for your response so urgent
God bless you.
Sgt. Zaineb Mousa
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Anti-fraud resources:
