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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:
- ",000,000" (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: Standard Bank <accounts@mi-solutions.in>
Reply-To: l14698083@gmail.com
Date: 10 Sep 2024 10:49:38 +0700
Subject: Inheritance
Dear Family of Late Mr. Jackson,
This is to officially notify the family of the late Mr. Jackson
that the United Nations has approved the payment of his 1999
contract award totaling $50,000,000. As per the UN Compensation
and Award Disbursement guidelines, this payment is due to be
disbursed to any surviving relative of Mr. John.
To facilitate the release of this payment, we require the signing
of **five official documents** by the relative claiming the
award. These documents are necessary to authenticate the
disbursement and ensure compliance with international financial
regulations.
Please reach out to us as soon as possible to initiate the
disbursement process and to receive further instructions on the
documentation requirements.
We look forward to your prompt response to expedite the payment
process.
Sincerely,
Ms. Mabel Roqdrik
Accountant
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Anti-fraud resources:
