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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:
- "trunk box" (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)
- "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)
- "trunk boxes" (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)
- "hundred thousand 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)
- "contact the diplomat" ("diplomats" who perform deliveries of cash or other valuables to you only exist in 419 scams)
- "the diplomat " ("diplomats" who perform deliveries of cash or other valuables to you only exist in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Carolyn Edema <humedales.proteger@arnet.com.ar>
Reply-To: <carolyn.edema@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2017 09:01:29 -0300
Subject: PLEASE HELP ME...
--
Hello ,
My name is Carolyn Edema by name and presently in a refugee camp in
Accra, Ghana west Africa. My father is a former minister of finance in
Dr Congo before he died.i am contacting you in respect of my two trunk
boxes which is already in your country with the my diplomat, my former
beneficiary that was suppose to help me receive the trunk boxes for me
became greedy asking for 70% which we agreed on 35% before the boxes
left Ghana for your country.
I had to put a stop to the delivery.please i am contacting you as my
new beneficiary to help me receive my two trunk boxes because i have
mapped out 45% for you.I want you to know that the diplomat has been
there for days now waiting to hear from my new foreign beneficiary to
carry out the delivery to and the content of my two consignment boxes is
Money ( Seventy Million Two Hundred Thousand United States Dollars )
which i will like to invest in a profitable business. I will like to
invest part of the money into real estate and transport industry but if
there is any other business that is better than what I am suggesting, I
will be very glad to follow your advice.
I want you to know that i stated in the airway bill as family valuables
not money so the diplomat does not know the true content and i have paid
for the delivery charges all you have to do is contact the diplomat.
Please kindly send me your direct telephone number so i can call you and
give you the contact of the diplomat.
Thanks,
Carolyn Edema
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