419 scam: "Michael Smith" <ince@tralamusic.com> MYSTERY SHOPPER WANTED

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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:

An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
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.
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.
- micsmith57@aol.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Michael Smith" <ince@tralamusic.com>
Reply-To: "Michael Smith" <micsmith57@aol.com>
Date: Sun, 30 May 2010 05:39:52 -0700
Subject: MYSTERY SHOPPER WANTED

Mystery shopping, as recently profiled on a Good Morning America segment, is a legitimate, flexible way to earn extra money. Mystery shoppers posing as normal customers perform specific tasks-such as purchasing a product, asking questions, registering complaints or behaving in a certain way - and then provide detailed reports or feedback about their experiences.

Intelligent service group is currently looking for people who have an eye for details and with good reporting skills, to analyze the service provided by various commercial outlets: restaurants, K-7 mart , 7/11 mart , Safeway etc.

To participate in our mystery shopping exercise, every applicant has to register in our database by clicking on the reply button and send in the following details:

Full Name:

Mailing address (including City, State, Postal code):

Contact Phone number:

Age:

Email:

Your response would be highly appreciated

Michael Smith
micsmith57@aol.com

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam