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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:
- "money gram" (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. )
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "CENTRAL BANK OF WEST AFRICAN STATES" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <bceao_benin@administrativos.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2018 18:15:16 -0500
Subject: THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR FUNDs
BCEAO
CENTRAL BANK OF WEST AFRICAN STATES
Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest ( BCEAO)
THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT HOUSE. OFFICE ALLOCATION
Attention. Please.
In accordance to my religious persuasion, I felt expedient to write and inform you on the wicked conspiracy hatched by the duo of some African Banks and corrupt staffs of the Ministry of justice and lawyer /attorney with numerous fake names to divert your money to their designated account in Cayman Island. From my position as a minister of finance, I discovered that they moved the fund from Africa to London, UK and then moved it last week into UBA and BOA Groups in USA. Today I found out through the Central computer database that they are about to re-route back your fund to a financial institution after they collected some money from you. With this, I felt that it is important for me to alert you on this development.
They are still using your name and contract/inheritance identification number as the beneficiary but they have changed the account co-ordinate and this is the reason they are frustrating you by asking for endless fees in order to buy time pending on when they will transfer your funds to their designated account in Cayman Islands.
I have the reference number of the transaction and also I have the number of the official who is directly in charge at the BOA clearing house agent in Atlanta. Your payment is supposed to go through the (BOA) Bank of American control financial clearing house USA. All the data about your claim profile are within my reach. I do not need gratification from you either in cash or kind. I can never be a part of evil.
I have instructed the UBA group clearing agent in USA to upload some part of your monies into CASHIER CHECK and send to you . I have instructed him to establish contact with you to inform you that your money is on the atm card not any other Bank, money gram or courier etc., so if he had reached you please comply with him because I have told him to contact of the transaction/transfer your funds through CASHIER CHECK
If he did not contact you within 10 minutes then write me back or you send him a sms through his telephone number +1 (646) 687-4677 his name is David H.Torch.
I have passed this information to the USA Department of treasury to monitor the transaction and to protect your funds against the scams that defrauded you of your hard earned money within these days.
Mr.Mike Adam
Cash Processing officer low office
CENTRAL BANK OF WEST AFRICAN STATES
Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest ( BCEAO)
Regional Director
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Anti-fraud resources:
