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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:
- "cashiers check" (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mystery Shopper Services." (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mysteryshpprsrvc@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:37:38 -0400
Subject: A MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED!!!
Dear Representative,
You have been selected for an assignment as a Secret Shopper for Consumer Critique Inc.We are an Oregon based company which has been in the business for about 21 years.You will be earning $200 as a secret shopper for on each assignment you carry out.Your employment packet will include funds for the shopping and a training assignment which will be sent to you after you receive payment for the assignment.A Pay check would be sent to you for the assignment in the form of a cashiers check or money order. The pay check would be in a certain amount which you would be required to cash a your bank,deduct your salary,and have the rest used for the evaluation at the store that would be given to you to evaluate.
Get back with the following details if interested
Email me the below details:
Full Name:
Full AddressPHYSICAL ADDRESS NOT P.O.BOX
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Phone Number:
Age:
Nationality:
Alternative Email Address:
As a mystery shopper you work and shop together for pleasure and the pay is $200 weekly on Part time basis , You only work 2-3hours twice in a week. Do get back to the recruiting department of Mystery Shopper Inc.
THANK YOU
Emma Valdivieso
Head Of Projects
Business Evaluation
Mystery Shoppers Services
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Anti-fraud resources:
