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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:
- "russellfranklin@vp.pl" (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: "Mr. Russell Franklin" <info@un.com>
Reply-To: russellfranklin@vp.pl
Date: Thu, 07 Dec 2017 17:41:46 +0100
Subject: RE: ATM VISA CARD DELIVERY DEPARTMENT
Attention:Beneficiary
Instruction was given by the Office of Presidency and United Nations(UN) and also (IMF)to transfer Sum of $10m through ATM Debit Card to you which you can use it in near cash point,shopping mall or banking.
You can withdrawal money from your ATM Debit Card from any ATM MACHINE location or center of your choice/nearest to you, in any part of the world.
You should reconfirm your address and full name and also telephone number for urgent delivery of your original ATM Debit Card to you within 48hrs.
Yours faithfully,
MY CONTACT EMAIL: russellfranklin@vp.pl
Mr. Russell Franklin
Foreign Payment Due Process Unit.
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Anti-fraud resources:
