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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:
- "application fee" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- 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.
- marrssll10@aol.com (AOL; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
Fraud email example:
From: "Martin Russell" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <marrssll10@aol.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:57:48 -0800
Subject: MYSTERY SHOPPER WANTED
Dear Candidate,
We are actually looking for a Mystery Shopper who will be working for
our company.(Corp Farm Service Concept.) Working with us won't affect
your present job.
* EARN NO LESS THAN $150.00 USD
* NEED EXTRA INCOME!
* BECOME OUR [ MYSTERY SHOPPER]: Earn [ NO LESS THAN $150.00 ] PER VENTURE:
*IT IS VERY EASY AND VERY SIMPLE:
*NO APPLICATION FEES:
Job Salary : 10% of check to conduct the Mystery Shopping
Start Date : 2 - 5 days after application is received.
Job Description : We need mystery shoppers all over United States.
***Our Major Secret Shopping is carried out on Money Transfer Service
& Major Stores.***
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS TO CONTACT THE EMAIL BELOW,
marrssll10@aol.com
ENCLOSE YOUR:
NAME:
FULL ADDRESS (Includin City,State and Zip code):
COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE:
PHONE NUMBER:
AGE:
Occupation (if any):
THANK YOU.
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Anti-fraud resources:
