"Is this email a scam?" FAQ
Q: I have an email and I'm not sure if it is a scam or not. Could you please look at it for me?
A: Sure! But first read the following...
Here are 15 questions regarding your email. If you answer "yes" to any of them - it is a scam....
- Does the email mention millions of dollars or some other very large sum of money?
- Does the email ask you to pay a comparatively small amount of money (hundreds or thousands of dollars) to get a much larger sum of money in the future?
- Does the email say you just won a lottery. (All real lotteries inform winners in person - never by email.)
- Does the email say you are entitled to a large inheritance? (Real lawyers and bankers will call you or write a real letter to inform you of an inheritance - never by email.)
- Does the author want you to pretend to be the next of kin of a rich dead person? (Or to do something else that is illegal or dishonest?)
- Does the author claim to be a government official, bank examiner, barrister, diplomat, FBI agent, a deposed leader or a member of royalty? (Such people rarely solicit the help of strangers and never by email.)
- Does the author, who you have never met before, want you to cash checks for him?
- Is the author requesting your help in transferring funds from one place to another?
- Does the author need your help to clean defaced currency? (This is a classic "wash-wash" scam.)
- Did the author email you a scanned copy of his passport or some other form of ID? (No legitimate person would do that.)
- Did the author ask you to email or fax a scanned copy of YOUR passport or ID? (No legitimate person would do that either.)
- Did the author ask you for your personal information? (No legitimate company will ever contact you by email to ask you to provide your username, password, date of birth, country, credit card information, etc...)
- Does the author ever mention "Western Union" or "Moneygram"? (419ers love WU and MG!)
- Does the author want you to re-ship items he has purchased from others?
- Is the email from Nigeria, written by a Nigerian or is connected to Nigeria in anyway?
Here is another list of questions. If you answer "yes" to any three of these - then you can be sure the email is a scam...
- Was the first email sent to you unsolicited?
- Is the email from someone you have never met before?
- IS THE EMAIL TYPED IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS?
- Do the email has not good grammar?
- Does the, email have missing or misused' punctuation
- does the email fail to capitalize the first word of each sentence?
- Doez tha emale hav severail speling erors?
- Are sum of the words in the email used in-corruptly - as if the author haze no conscript of what the words rally means.
- Did the first email address you as "Dear Sir/Madam", "Dear Friend", "Hello Dear", "Dearest One" or in some other way that indicates they have no idea who you really are?
- Does the author offer you a lot of money in exchange for doing simple tasks?
- Does the author claim to be an orphan, widow, refugee or a sick person?
- Is the author, who is from another country, seeking your help with something? (Can't he find just one person in his own country to help him?)
- Is the email from Africa, written by someone from Africa or is connected to Africa in anyway?
- Is the "return" email address, on the first email, not the same as the "from" email address?
- Does the author want you to respond to a different email address then the one the email was sent from originally?
- Does the author use a free email service? (Examples include @yahoo, @hotmail, @gmail, @jmail, @aol, @live and @myway.)
- Does the email ask you for your name, address or phone number?
- Does the email mention gold, oil, diamonds or silver?
- Does the author say he/she loves you or wants to marry you, even though you have never met face-to-face?
- Does the author ask you to keep his email or business idea a secret or confidential?
- Does the author claim his situation is urgent or that time is limited?
Q: I did not answer "yes" to any of those. Does that mean that the email is legitimate?
A: No. The email could still be from a scammer. Let common sense be your guide; if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you have any doubts you can post the email on this Scam Baiting Forum (post it under the "Scam Baiting" section) and we will give you our expert opinion in less then 24 hours. Also - here is a cool online tool that will analyze your email and give you a report as to it's potential for being a 419 email scam: http://www.scamomatic.com/
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Q: I posted the email on the forum mentioned above. You, and some other forum members, said the email is a scam. But you could be mistaken. Right?
A: That is very unlikely. If you have any doubts - then print out the email and take it to your local police station.
Q: But my email is not from Nigeria; it is from England. Is it still a scam?
A: Yes.
Q: But the email says I inherited money from a guy who has the same last name as me!
A: So? All that proves is that the scammer was able to figure out what your last name is. It's still a scam.
Q: The email says the proposed deal is 100% without risk. The author has promised me that nothing will go wrong and has given me his word of honor that the deal is completely legitimate. Is it still a scam?
A: Yes.
Q: But he swore to GOD that he was telling the truth and he is a very religious person who quotes Jesus a lot. Is it still a scam?
A: Yes.
Q: But the email contained a REAL phone number and I talked to a REAL person. Is it still a scam?
A: Yes.
Q: But he showed me
his passport, photos of himself, his law school diploma, his driver's license, his business card, his company photo ID,
business receipts, the
dead man's will, autopsy report, medical records, death certificate, obituary listing, news clippings, court transcripts, a government issued certificate
of authenticity and several other official documents! Are you telling me that he forged all those things?
A: Yes.
Q: But he has not asked me for money.
A: Not yet.
Q: But he has invited me to visit him.
A: It's a trap, don't go. You could be robbed, kidnapped or killed. Seriously, don't go.
Q: Are you sure?
A: Fuck, man! Ask a cop if you don't believe me!
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Q: Robert Mueller contacted me by email...
A: It's a scam.
Q: Wait. Let me finish... Robert Mueller is the head of the FBI and he is using the email address robertmueller1812@mail.com...
A: It is a scam. He's not...
Q: WAIT! Wait. Let me FINISH... He contacted me to confirm that another person, who I have been communicating with about a money transfer, is a legitimate businessman. I have looked him up and discovered that Robert Mueller really IS the head of the FBI. So that means the money transfer is real, right? (Now I'm done.)
A: The real Robert Mueller does not email people like you and me about things such as that. Also the real head of the FBI would not use a free email service like "@mail.com". The person you have been communicating with is a scammer posing as Robert Mueller and is probably the same scammer who is posing as the businessman.
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Q: After a brief email correspondence, a foreign company has hired me. My job is to deposit and cash checks for them. The company has mailed me a check for $5,000. Could it be an email scam?
A: Yes, it is definitely a scam. The check is a fake.
Q: But I visited the company's website.
A: Fake website, dude.
Q: But the website was VERY professional looking with tons of verifiable information.
A: It's possible that both the website and company are real, but the email is from a scammer who is posing as a member of that company. Regardless - no legitimate company will send checks worth thousands of dollars to someone they have never met.
Q: But I deposited the check and it cleared. The money is in my bank right now.
A: Sigh... The money you see in your bank account is called "flash money". It is imaginary money that appears, temporarily, in your bank account following the deposit of a fake check. The purpose of flash money is to convince you that the scammer is legitimate. Often the scammer wants you to send him a percentage of the flash money as real money, usually by money transfer. When the bank eventually discovers that the original check or electronic transfer is fraudulent (could take days or even weeks) the credit will be reversed and you will be held accountable for the loss.
Q: But the bank is the one who is legally at fault for not recognizing that it was a fake check, right?
A: Wrong. According to the law you are responsible for the checks you deposit. That is because you are in a better position to gauge the legitimacy of the checks since you are the one dealing directly with who ever is sending the check to you. When the fake check "bounces", the bank can sue you to recover the funds. It is also possible that the police could bring charges against you if they suspect you knew the check was counterfeit.
Q: What should I do?
A: Contact the bank and tell them what happened.
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Q: A woman, whom I have met online, says she finds me attractive and wants to come visit me so that we can go on a date. Is it a scam?
A: There is nothing wrong with that. A lot of happy couples meet online.
Q: ...All she needs is $400 for a plane ticket.
A: It's a scam. And she is probably a man.
Q: But she has sent me photographs of herself.
A: Fake photos, dude.
Q: But I spoke to her on the phone.
A: That was the scammer's girl friend or an accomplice.
Q: Are you sure?
A: If the chick asks you for money - it's a scam.
Q: Even if she is hot?
A: Especially if she is hot.
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Q: I'm too lazy to read this FAQ. Could you look at my email and tell me if it is a scam or not?
A: Sigh... Sure, you can post the email on this Scam Baiting Forum (post it under "Scam Baits") and we will give you our expert opinion in less then 24 hours.
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Q: This FAQ is great! It prevented me from being scammed! How can I ever thank you?
A: If you have a website - please link to http://www.419hell.com/
If you are reporter or a blogger - please write a short story about us.
If you are a member of a forum or message board - please inform everyone there about our cool website.
Are you on Facebook? Please tell all your FB friends about us! :)
If you are just a regular person - please tell all your friends, coworkers and relatives about "419hell.com" :)
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Q: I have already fallen victim to a 419 email scam. Can you provide me with advice?
A: Read our "Victim FAQ" page.
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Q: I have a general question regarding 419 scams and about this website. Is this the right page to find that information?
A: Read our "General FAQ" page.
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Q: I'd like to learn more about the art/sport of "scam baiting" and perhaps do a little baiting myself. What tips can you give to a new baiter?
A: Read our "Baiter FAQ" page.
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Q: I have a question that is not covered on this page. How can I contact you?
A: If none of the pages listed above contained an answer to your question - please feel free to post your question on this Scam Baiting Forum.
Main Page
(Index page where I showcase some of my favorite scam baits.)
FAQ - General Questions
(Information about 419 scams and this website.)
FAQ - Scam Baiting Tips
(Learn how to be a first class scam baiter like me!)
FAQ - Scam Victim Help
(Advice for people who have been victimized.)
Nigerian Scammer Survey
(100 scammers reveal their ugly souls.)
Types of Nigerian Scams
(List of typical scams used by 419ers.)
FAQ - Scammer 'Help'
(My not-so-helpful advice for scammers.)
FAQ - Is This Email a Scam?
(How to spot email scams.)
Testimonials
(Funny quotes from angry scammers I've baited.)
Victim Warnings
(Examples of people we have helped.)
Scam Baiting Terms
(Words scam baiters use.)
Press Release
(Look at me!!! Look at me!!!)
Links
(Scam baiting and anti-fraud links page.)
Forum
(Come here to speak your mind.)
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