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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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- "a diplomat " ("diplomats" who perform deliveries of cash or other valuables to you only exist in 419 scams)
- "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Miss Atifat Ahmed" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <atifatahmed@mail2libya.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2016 09:42:03 -0700
Subject: I SERIOUSILY IN NEED OF YOUR ASSISTANCE
Dear Sir/Madam,
Complement of the Day.
I am writing to you with due respect and with a heavy heart as I’m in a desperate situation and need your urgent help. My name is Miss Atifat Ahmed from Libya but currently seeking an assulum in a country.
My father who is now dead was a key figure in the Col Muammar Gaddafi regime in Libya before he defected in March 2011 to the opposition side. Unfortunately he was killed alongside 3 other members of my immediate family during the war months after he defected from the Col Gaddafi regime. My father had wanted to relocated the rest of the family before he was captured by Gaddafi's men and latter killed.
Prior to his death, my father visited me to arrange a place for the family and before he left back to Libya, he handed over to me documents of funds he had secretly moved out of the country before the uprising started. The funds are presently under the custody and control of a diplomat whom my late father made a special arrangement with to transfer the funds to a financial institution just 2 months before he was killed.
I strongly believe it will be better for me and safer as well to get a third party, a neutral person from a different country who’s God fearing that can accept me with the funds and invest them on my behalf for 10 years. The fund is in total of USD7.5M and I’m ready to part with a percentage of the fund to you.
If you will be willing to help me in this regards, I’m prepared to also relocate immediately with the funds.
I have received several requests from the financial institution already asking me to present a more mature person who can take delivery of the funds on my behalf.
It has always been my dream to relocate and live outside Africa and I will be grateful if you can be of assistant to help me relocate alongside the funds.
God bless you as I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Miss Atifat Ahmed
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