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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:
- "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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- 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.
- 6564mike098@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "George Kwesi" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <55435geor00@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2018 22:09:58 +0800
Subject: Very Urgent
Greetings,
I hope this email message met you and your family in good health?
First of all,I will like to apologies to you for what almost seems to be invading your privacy since we do not have existing relationship prior to sending this message to you.By the way of introduction,My Name is Mr.George Kwesi and I am writing to seek for your assistance and cooperation on behalf of Mrs.Grace Ohen whose husband passed away 6years ago and as a result she has gone through hell and untold hardship due to some of African cultures and traditions that denies or prevents a widow from inheriting her late husband¡¯s estate.
Late Engineer Martin Benjamin Ohen has an Engineering Company in Lome-Togo in partnership with Mr.Watkinson Ethan his American partner who owns 35% share of the company at a time but Mr.Ethan left Togo Republic during the civil war in 1998 selling all his shares to Mr.Benjamin who expended the company within next few years till his death in 2012.His family as tradition demands took over the company and placed Mrs.Grace Ohen on salary which they defaulted in several occasions which contributed tremendously to Mrs.Ohen`s deteriorating health. The sum of US$19,800,000.00 fixed deposit her husband made to Financial Security Company under the company`s name of which the mentioned amount requires two (2) signatories anytime application to claim the fund is applied so it¡¯s on this regard I am contacting you to Help and make Mrs.Ohen`s dream a reality since she is terminally ill.
Please write me back if you are interested.
Reply to: 6564mike098@gmail.com
Best Regard
George Kwesi.
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