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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:
- "to your nominated bank account" (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 "New Partner from Paraguay" scam.
- This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- 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.
- pauledward276@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: Stevenson <offiiceufile@gmail.com>
Reply-To: pedward@safrica.com
Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2022 15:11:19 +0200
Subject: Dear Good Friend.
From Mark Stevenson
Dear Good Friend.
I am happy to inform you about my success in getting those funds
transferred under the cooperation of a new partner from Indonesia.
Presently I am in Indonesia for investment projects with my own share
of the total sum. Meanwhile, I didnât forget youâre past efforts and
attempts to assist me in transferring those funds despite that it
failed us some how. Now contact my secretary in South Africa his name
is Paul Edward
Email: pauledward276@gmail.com
Phone: +27785937074.Contact him by Email and ask him to send you the
total of $920.000.00.{Nine Hundred And Twenty Thousand United States
Dollars} which I kept for your past efforts and attempts to assist me
in this matter. I appreciated your efforts at that time very much. So
feel free and get in touched with my Secretary Paul Edward and
instruct him where to send the amount to you. Please do let me know
immediately you receive it so that we can share the joy after all the
suffer ness at that time. Do send to Paul Edward, your contact
details.
Your Full Namesâ¦...........................................
Youâre Addressâ¦..............................................
Cell Phone Numberâ¦........................................
Your occupation................................................
Your Ageâ¦.....................................................
To enable him submit your details to my paying bank the Ned Bank South
Africa to wire your compensation money to your nominated bank
account/Bank Check or they can send to you an authorized bank atm
master card to your address for you to withdraw the money from any
bank atm machine in your country.
In the moment, I am very busy here because of the investment projects
which me and the new partner are having at hand, finally, remember
that I had forwarded instruction to my secretary on your behalf to
receive that money, so feel free to get in touch with Paul Edward he
will send the amount to you with out any delay.
Thanks and God bless you.
Mark Stevenson.
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