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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:
- "million us 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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "FRB" <mrjeromepowells@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: mrjeromepowell4@gmail.com
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 2020 20:28:22 +0000
Subject: DID YOU PERMIT MS.CARMAN ...
DID YOU PERMIT MS.CARMAN LAPOINTE TO RECEIVE YOUR
FUND AS YOUR
NEXT OF KIN? APPROVED ON YOUR BEHALF. URGENT
ATTENTION FOR YOUR
BENEFIT.FROM THE OFFICE OF MR. JEROME POWELL
CHAIRMAN FEDERAL RESERVE BANK.
Attention:
Based on the meeting we have with United Nations and
IMF officials on your payment, I writing to inform
you that your files appeared on our desk to pay you a
partial payment of $10.5million US Dollars of your
funds for this First quarter of the year.
But we are having misunderstanding because one
Mrs.Carman Lapointe called yesterday that she is your
new next of kin that you instructed her to receive
the funds on your favor that you are totally sick and
you can not work or answer any calls.
But we were so confuse that is why the authority
instructed me to contact you for us to know if she is
telling us the truth or not.
She even forwarded this bank details to us.
Bank Name: Credit Union Na
Account Name: Carman Lapointe
Account number: 908374912
Swift code: cwd1u
After she provided this account to us, she instructed
us not to inform you and we should transfer the funds
into her account directly because she is your next of
kin.
Kindly check this account and name if we can go ahead
and transfer the
funds into her account.
We wait to hear from you soon.
Don't keep us waiting for your own good.
Thanks.
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