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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:
- "might come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Mrs Sandra <collinslewis550@gmail.com>
Reply-To: sandraaa.donkor@gmail.com
Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2022 13:31:09 +0000
Subject: Greetings
Good Day.
Greeting to you in the name of our Lord Amen . My name is Sandra Donkor. I
pray this mail will meet you and your family in good health.I know you
don't know me and this message might come to you as a surprise but Because
of the Good Reputable Information I gathered about you I want you to help
me to fulfill a promise I made with God.
Don't be surprised to read this letter, but the summary of my message is
that I want you to receive the funds of my deceased husband. He left some
money in my non-resident account in my name. You receive the money and
donate it to a charity of your choice. People Suffering with COVID 19
around the whole world This is because I suffer from life-threatening
illnesses (breast cancer and throat cancer). So the doctor told me last
week that I wouldn't live for more than two months. I would like to take
this opportunity to donate my heritage to a charity. I decided to do this
because there is a lot of suffering around the world, especially among
underprivileged children. I have been involved in this crisis for seven
years. My doctor declared my death within two months because my throat and
breast cancer were chronically reported. I need your help to receive these
funds. My deceased husband left for me before he died. My dream is to use
the money to help charities and poor orphans. Try to spend 70% of this
money on charity. And 30% for yourself and your support.
Yours in Christ
Sandra Donkor
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Anti-fraud resources:
