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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:
- "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. )
- 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.
Fraud email example:
From: David Adammah <naicepal@gmail.com>
Reply-To: davidadammah1@gmail.com
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2022 04:06:27 -0800
Subject: WE MADE THE FIRST PAYMENT TODAY
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Attention,
We have started transferring your funds through Western Union,Your
first payment has been transferred.
Tracking Number: 339-706-3174
Amount Transferred: $5,000
Senders Name: Mark William Bel
https://www.westernunion.com/global-service/track-transfer
Click on the Western Union link and track it, but because we just want
to make sure you are accessing this email address and also for the
activation of your file, we placed security to your payment as (THE
MONEY HAS BEEN PICKED UP) We shall remove the restriction once you
confirm receipt of this message and activate your payment file. Kindly
reconfirm the follow:
1. Your full name
2. Address
3. Phone Number
4. Age
5. Occupation
Waiting for your response
Best regards,
David Adammah
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Anti-fraud resources:
