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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.
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Joseph Kareen" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mrjosephkareem@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2017 10:01:09 -0700
Subject: GREETING FROM AFRCA
ATTENTION:
I am a consultant. I have a client who wishes to invest her financial estate in your Country. Please, note that the said amount is deposited in a bank in Ghana and my client needs a serious business minded trustee/partner to invest the money into any good business venture.
Kindly be informed that this proposal is LEGAL and your interest will be protected by the law. I am empowered with the responsibility to ensure the Agreement is carried out legally between my client and any interested party.
PLEASE, CONFIRM YOUR INTEREST BY SENDING YOUR PHONE NUMBER.
Can you be of Assistance to my Partner? I will give you more details when you reply.
Sincerely,
Mr.Joseph Kareem
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Anti-fraud resources:
