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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:
- "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "with your full names" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "million 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)
- ",000,000" (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)
- "remain blessed" (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
- "laurenhugh1@gmx.co.uk" (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: "Mrs Lauren Hugh " <adn19@docusiign.net>
Reply-To: <laurenhugh1@gmx.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 7 Jun 2016 14:48:52 -0400
Subject: Re: Be of help
Greetings to you in the name of God and I believe this email meets you in good health. I am Lauren Hugh by name and British citizen by birth but married to a South African husband with whom we both invested in Gold and Diamonds Mining in Africa.
We worked so hard together and God blessed us with fortune beyond our imagination but unfortunately we have not child until the the demise of my Husband in 2008 when he was involved in a ghastly motor accident which claimed his life.
Life has been terrible for me since he died. His relatives has been selling some of our properties and valuables and to make the situation worst, I have also been battling with Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) Cancer and an acute Brain Tumor which has kept me in the hospital for the past 13 months.
I cannot watch all I have laboured for to waste away to people who has been ungrateful to me and my husband so I had to sell some of my shares and property worth Two Hundred and forty-six Million Dollars ($246,000,000) which is presently fixed with a Bank in United Kingdom.
I am dying at the moment and my doctor said I might be lucky to stay alive for few more weeks with the help of the life saving machine I have been placed. Please, I will like you to be of help as I have instructed my lawyer that I will introduce to him someone who will be my beneficiary and who will be able to use this money to help others while I am gone.
He has assured me the necessary thing will be done to transfer my proceedings to you as soon as I introduce you as the beneficiary of my money. Please, accept my offer and I want you to reply me with your Full Names and Telephone numbers immediately you get my message before Its too late for me to help. Please send the details to my direct email (laurenhugh1@gmx.co.uk)
Remain blessed in Jesus name.
Lauren Hugh
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