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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:
- "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "million united states 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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mr.D" <>
Reply-To: jvanzyladt@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2016 01:25:45 +0200
Subject: Compliment of the Season
Compliment of the Season,
I am Mr.John Van Zyl as the Auditor General in one of the leading Banks in South Africa,I am very much excited today to bring to your notice my business deal of US$15 M (Fifteen Million United States Dollars Only).
So therefore,if you are keenly interested to assist please kindly get back to me with your name and your phone number & Country i will offer you 30% which is US$4.5 M.
This transaction is legal and 100% risk free.
I wait for your reply to send full detail to you.
My Best Regards
>From the desk of Mr.John Van Zyl
Director Auditor General.
Financial Governance
Johannesburg,South Africa
Tel: +27 78 101 5849
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Anti-fraud resources:
