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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:
- "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "required fee " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "western union" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "mtcn" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "hundred thousand united state 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)
- "00,000.00" (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)
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
- 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.
- western6488@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Mrs. Rose Ben." <"www."@ray.ocn.ne.jp>
Reply-To: "Mrs. Rose Ben." <western6488@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2017 06:29:28 +0900 (JST)
Subject: Re: western union Payment
E-mail: western6488@gmail.com
From the desk of Rose Ben
I am here by apologizing for the delayed of your $2.500,000 00. Two
million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars because I traveled
out of country since and have been in Paris-France all this while; I
just came back 2 days ago. However I asked Mr. Daniel Eze about your
funds and he told me that you did not get the fund till this date. I
asked him why and he explained to me that you couldn’t be able to pay
the required fee needed to start releasing your payments. I ask him why
they requested such huge amount from you instead of $95 I instructed him
before I traveled. Right now the only amount you have to send to my
(Secretary PAUL CHIKA ) is only $95 for the activation of your Western
Union VAT File paper, to entitle you receiving your daily payments till
done?
The $95 should be sending to below:
Receiver: PAUL CHIKA
Country: Benin Republic
Amount: $95
Mtcn:::
Sender name:
So you are to re-confirm to them the below information,
Your. Receiver
Your. Country
Your. City
Your. Tel
Your. Test question
Your. Answer
Your. Passport
Be
advice that after this very $95, therefore will be none payment from
you again than your daily confirming payment of $5500 till the whole
$2.500,000.00 is completed. My word and order to the western union
Manager Director is that you should pay only bet $95 no more no less.
Therefore if anybody asks you for any additional payment after you
paying $95, kindly report to me because the person has cross line of my
orders. Please I’m real sorry for the inconveniences this delayed might
cause to you.
Thanks:
Mrs. Rose Ben.
E-mail: western6488@gmail.com
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Anti-fraud resources:
