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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.
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "US MYSTERY SHOPPER" <simantob@parkinggroup.com>
Reply-To: p.campbell.wumt4@info.al
Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2010 09:07:32 +0000
Subject: Be a mystery shopper (Job Opportunity)
"We have a mystery shopping assignment in all areas around the U.S and
we would like you to participate"
The job will pay 200.00 weekly / accomplished assignment.
Kindly Fill Out the application form below and submit to the email
address herein and you shall be contacted in a short while with a brief
on how and when the assignment is to
commence: p.campbell.wumt4@info.al
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
First Name: .............................................
Middle Name: .............................................
Last Name: .............................................
Street Address(not p.o box):
.............................................
City, State, Zip Code: .............................................
Cell Phone Number: .............................................
Home Phone Number: .............................................
Age: .............................................
Current Occupation: .............................................
Alternate Email Address: .............................................
AVAILABILITY:
Days/Hours Available
Monday .............................................
Tuesday .............................................
Wednesday .............................................
Thursday .............................................
Friday .............................................
Saturday .............................................
Sunday .............................................
Hours Available: from _______ to ______
Upon receipt of the above information by our Survey Team you will
receive a detailed email as regards any assignment in your area.
Yours Sincerely,
Peter Campbell.
Secret Shopper(R).
NB: The earlier we get your information the better post you secure
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Anti-fraud resources:
