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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:
- "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: SECRETARY <royaldiamond20@gmail.com>
Reply-To: racineharr@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2023 22:14:56 -1200
Subject: I WAIT FOR YOUR CONFIRMATION
Dear Sir/Madam,
Without prejudice to your privacy, My Boss requested your cooperation to
move his acquired funds to your country or any other country for safety
through you and invest it into stable projects that you can handle or
invest in your existing project that requires funding.
You and I know there are so many false internet users these days; based on
this concern my boss would like both of you to have a Non-Circumvention,
Non-Disclosure, Confidentiality Agreement (NCNDC) before he will fully
trust you and give you details on the deal. Your consent to this email will
be highly appreciated if you are genuine and determined to handle the
investment funds.
Thank you in advance while I wait to hear from you and your willingness to
partner with my boss.
Regards,
Secretary
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Anti-fraud resources:
