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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:
- "registration 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. )
- "united state of america" (this email uses bad English)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "MYSTERY SHOPPER" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <big502block@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 21:09:07 +0100
Subject: Be our Mystery Shopper and earn $200 - $499 weekly
Be our Mystery Shopper and earn $200 - $499 weekly, and no registration fee required.
We are always looking for enthusiastic, professional individuals with good reporting and observational skills to carry out mystery shopping assignments.
Assignments are allocated basis based on your location and personal profile.
Please fill in the shopper application form and we will be in contact.
1. Your full names:
2. Contact:
3. Direct telephone and fax numbers:
4. Age:
5. Email Address:
We look forward to hearing from you!
NOTE: All our current assignments are located in the United State Of America and Canada.
Thanks
Curt
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Anti-fraud resources:
