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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "Lillian Batch" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <lapplehouse@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:59:47 -0700
Subject: Mystery shoppers needed.

Hello, I'm Lillian, working for a company (Shoppers Crew Int.) that conducts surveys and evaluates other companies. The scope of the evaluation/survey is all about mystery shopping. What is Mystery Shopping.....? A vast amount of companies are interested in knowing what their customers/clients think of their services and/or products in order to right what may be wrong and help them to improve customer service and productivity. To obtain this crucial data from a non biased viewpoint they hire Mystery Shopping agencies/recruiters like us, who are trained market researchers, to gather the information on their behalf. We get hired to go to other peoples companies and act like customers in order to know how the staffs are handling their services in relation to their customers. This is where you come in... Once we have a contract to do so, as a Mystery Shopper you will pose as a regular customer but will actually be collecting essential data set by the client and briefed to you. Assignments vary from restaurants to shops, banks to fitness centers, the list is endless. You would actually be directed to the company or outlet, and you would be given the funds you need to do the job ( either purchase things or require services), after which you would write a comment on the staffs activities and give a detailed record of your experience. Examples of details you would forward to us are: 1) How long it took you to get services. 2) Smartness of the attendant 3) Customer service professionalism 4) Sometimes you might be required to upset the attendant, to see how they react to clients when they get tensed. Sounds like fun? It is but it's no joke, your reports are vital material, so you've got to be committed and be able to complete each job as specified on your worksheet by us. It is important we bring to you knowledge that our management is always on the lookout for trustworthy and reliable people to carry out assignments for us. What qualifications or skills do I need? You don't need any particular qualifications to become a mystery shopper, basically anyone can do it, any age, any background. However, you must be reliable, observant, have a good memory and be able to give an accurate, unbiased view of your findings. The job also requires discretion as in effect you are akin to an undercover reporter, therefore at no time must you reveal that you are a mystery shopper during an assignment. How much money can I earn? You will be paid TWO hundred Dollars ($200.00) on every research information which you record for the company. You will also be given extra funds in a case whereby you are evaluating or studying the activities of a place where spending is required of you (e.g Restaurants, clothing stores, bars or a situation where by mobility is required). What to do after an assignment is completed? After completing an assignment you are usually required to email our representative a detailed record of your experience within a set time frame, this is usually between 8 - 24 hours of job completion. The best thing to do is contact our representative via email with your results as soon as you can while the details are still fresh in your mind. No commitment is made on this job, and you would have flexible hours as it suits you while you are still working at your present place of work. Our website is under repairs, as soon as the website is re-constructed the link will be forwarded to you. In the main time, you can forward to me all your correspondence to my email box,If you are interested in this job. Kindly send in your full name contact address and telephone number with your age so we can look at your distance from the locations which you have to put your service, and your address will also be need for your payments. Many Thanks. Lillian Batch Shopper Crew Inc.

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