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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:
- "money laundering" ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
- "western union" (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. )
- "money gram" (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. )
- "% commission" (Beware of any scheme that involves depositing checks or money orders or receiving wire transfers in your bank account and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere, for a percentage of 5-15% of the total. Such offers are *always* fraudulent and you will be liable for the entire amount when the checks, money orders or wire transfers turn out to be fraudulent. Any money already forwarded comes out of *your* pocket then. )
- This email message is a company representative scam. This type of job offer scam involves the cashing of fake checks and money orders. It could expose you to losses of tens of thousands of dollars as well as to the risk of criminal prosecution and (in some cases) imprisonment.
- Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
Fraud email example:
From: "Jobs.com" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <twu9533@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 24 May 2013 12:28:50 -0400
Subject: Get A Job Now!!
Hello,
My name is Tony Wu marketing manager of Cha Textiles Limited Company Hong Kong.
we are in need of company representatives in the United States Of America(U.S.A) to process payments from our customers and earn 10% of money processed.
This is because we experience a lot of delays in receiving payments from them
here in Hong-Kong.Direct money wire to us by our customers has also had its
challenges and after our company board meeting we realized we save time and cost using
agents on a 10% commission.
JOB DESCRIPTION.
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1. Receive payment from our customers through secure ONLINE BANKING directly to your bank
account.
2. Deduct 10 percent which will be your percentage/pay on Payment processed.
3. Forward balance after deduction of your percentage to any of our
company branches worldwide as instructed by us.(Payment is either By Money Gram
/ Western Union Money Transfer).
HOW MUCH WILL YOU EARN?
------------------------
10 percent from each transaction for example,if you receive $1000 on
our behalf you Keep $100 for yourself.with hard work,honesty and reliability
your commission will be increased to 15% over time.
Is this legal and not some sort of money laundering?
----------------------------------------------------
Our operations are 100% legal and we have been in business for many years
we realized we actually save more more by using company representatives and all taxes
are paid for. we also comply with all international trade laws and Anti-
money laundering laws.
ADVANTAGES
----------
You do not have to go out as you will work as an independent contractor
right From your home / office. Your job is absolutely legal.
you can earn up To $500-$2000 monthly depending on the amount of time
you spend on the job. You do not need to pay any fee to start.You can
do the Work easily without leaving or affecting your present Job.Employees
who work hard have a Possibility to become regional managers.
MAIN REQUIREMENTS.
------------------
18 years or older,
No criminal record
Responsible,
Ready to work 3-4 hours per week. With PC knowledge
E-mail and Internet experience (minimal)
If you are interested in our offer please provide the information below
Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Gender:
Age:
Telephone number:
Please note: only interested applicants should respond and please check
your email for response within 24 hours.Please click reply to automatically respond.
Thank you,
Tony Wu
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Anti-fraud resources: