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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:
- "hundred thousand united states 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: "Melvin Hewitt Jr" <nelsonlonard@gmail.com>
Reply-To: officeforvictimofcrime@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 06 May 2024 16:24:10 -0700
Subject: Trust This Message Finds You In Good Faith
Headquarters Address: National
Center for Victims of Crime.
3434 Washington Blvd. Ste. 1100.
Arlington, VA 22201. United States
Attention: Award winner
The mission of the National Center for Victims of Crime is to forge a national commitment to help victims of crime rebuild their lives. We are dedicated to serving individuals, families, and communities harmed by crime.
Your email Address was found and approved for compensation and We apologize for the delay of your outstanding compensation payment
Please contact me back at your earliest convenience as i throw more light and give you more details on your award/winning compensation fund worth the sum of Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars
Best Regards,
Melvin Hewitt Jr.
Vice Chairman National Center for Victims of Crime
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Anti-fraud resources:
