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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:
- "million us 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)
- "power of attorney" (with your bank details and a power of attorney form criminals sometimes empty bank accounts)
- "federal republic of benin" (Benin, Cameroon, etc. are no Federal Republics, unlike Nigeria where this type of scam was invented)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
- 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.
- 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.
- mrskemiadaosun22@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: mrskemiadaosun <"WW."@eos.ocn.ne.jp>
Reply-To: mrskemiadaosun <mrskemiadaosun22@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2017 08:44:21 +0900 (JST)
Subject: TREAT AS URGENT IF YOU ARE STILL ALIVE OR SEAD///
Kind Attention Dear
How are you today? hope all is right with you; Please I advised that
you should read this email message very carefully and urgently get
back to me immediately to avoid wrong transfer of your overdue
inheritance unpaid fund worth of $7.8 Million USD presently at our
custody.
Based on the meeting held yesterday between the United Nations
Official, US Embassy Republic of Benin Official and IMF officials
regarding all overdue inheritance payment File of which your name and
email ID was listed among the unpaid beneficiary, I writing to inform
you that your files appeared on our desk to pay you a partial payment
of $7.8 million US Dollars of your funds for this First quarter of the
year.
But we are having misunderstanding because a lady by name Mrs. Monica
Ohge, from United States of America called our Office on Friday
stating that she is your new next of kin that you have given her the
power of attorney to claim your unpaid Fund worth of $7.8 Million USD,
she clearly informed our Office that you have instructed her to
receive the funds on your favor that you are greatly ill which makes
it impossible for you to ask all our calls and email to you so far
that you cannot work or answer any calls due your presently health
condition.
Executive Board of Director Federal Ministry of Finance Republic of
Benin are currently and so confuse about her claim that is why the
authority instructed me to contact you for us to know if she is
telling us the truth or not to avoid transferring your unpaid fund
worth of $7.8 Million USD to unexpected person as we have no clue
about this person Mrs. Monica Ohge .
She also forwarded below Bank Account DETAILS to us for the remittance
of your unpaid inheritance Payment worth the total sum of $7.8 Million
USD.
Bank Name: Navy Federal Credit Union
Account Name: Monica J. Ohge
Account Number: 8910855723
Routing Number: 101014829
After she provided this account to us, she instructed us not to bother
or disturbed ourselves by contacting you because you cannot access
your email presently due to your present health condition that we
should transfer the funds into her provided bank account directly
because she is now acting on your behalf.
Kindly check this account and name if we can go ahead and transfer the
funds into her account.
We wait to hear from you soon.
Don't keep us waiting for your own good.
Best Regard's
Mrs. Kemi Adaosun
Honorable Minister of Finance
Federal Republic of Benin.
Email: mrskemiadaosun22@gmail.com
Tel :(+229) 99 49 67 27
Tel: +229 99 38 79 78
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