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RED FLAGS To Look For

If you have an email address, you have more than likely received a scam email before and probably will for the rest of your email life.  Using your head when it comes to email is the best prevention for even exposing yourself to a scammer (which in turn leads to more scammers).  Taking your time to pick out blaring red flags in your email will save you time, grief and in the end, your money!

Red Flags to look for:

1)  Look at the email address
Real banks, government agencies, loan companies, lotteries and legitimate businesses DO NOT use free email services such as gmail, Yahoo, hotmail, mail.com or the many versions of free email accounts.

Scammers that do take the time to either disguise (or "spoof") their email headers or use a hacked email address will still tell you somewhere in the body of the email to use a completely different email address when replying.  The address they usually want you to reply to will be a free email account.

2)  Look at the English (or your language) & grammar of the email
Most spammers use horrible English, grammar and punctuation.  For other languages, they simply use a translator which we all know are not 100% perfect.  Such details like this certainly wouldn't be missed by any reputable agent, banker, lawyer, secretary and so on and so forth.

3)  The name of the people can also give them away
Scammers, especially out of West Africa, often don't understand naming conventions used by most countries that have "first name" and "last name" and will tend to use two first names, two last names or a combination female/male names.  Examples might be John Michael, Jessica Mary, a woman named Bob or a man named Jane.  I'm not meaning to offend anyone that may have the names I've just mentioned, I'm just pointing out that this is a red flag within scam emails.

4)  Ask yourself why a stranger would email you offering you money
Not that you aren't a remarkable person, but if you had a $5M inheritance sitting in a bank in another country would you just wake up one morning and decide that you would share it with someone in yet another country that you've never even heard of?

5) Do your research
If it sounds too good to be true, then it is.  Sadly, too many people don't take the time to do a quick internet search on the email address, company name or person's name until after it's too late.  Always take a minute to search!  There are many sites, much bigger then the blog you're on right now, that do nothing but collect scammer information and feed it to Google to let people know that they are scammers.

If you have already been in contact with a scammer, if they do any of the following, it is definitely a scam and you should STOP all contact with them immediately.

  • If they ask you to send money through Western Union, Ria or Moneygram to another person, in another country (or sometimes even in the same country) know that:
    A:  Reputable companies DO NOT demand payment this way
    B:  The military DOES NOT demand payment this way
    C:  Employment agencies DO NOT demand payment this way
  • If they ask you to email them your private information or banking details know that:
    A:  Banks will NEVER ask for your banking information in the form of an email because it is NOT secure and they themselves carry warnings posted in physical branches as well as websites telling you that they do not ask for your information in this way
    B:  If you have been contacted by your "supposed" bank asking for these details, why would they do that?  It's your bank and they already have these details.
    C:  Reputable companies or agencies would also NEVER ask you for your details through the email

10 comments:

  1. Oui j ai fait les frais d une arnaquemcroyant vraiment a ce qui ils me disait
    Devoir envoyer de l argent qui ils m envoyaient préalablement par mandat cash urgent
    Apres quoi je devais les renvoyer au beniet ceci soit disant pour me faire créditer au niveau du banquier
    Mais je n ai pas eu le prêt
    Au contraire j ai été arrêté pour blanchiment
    Je veux retrouver ces escrocs aidez moi svp merci

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  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  3. I have received several of these. How do I turn them in or can I?

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    1. Thank you for commenting! The best thing to do is ignore and delete the emails. If you have sent or received any money through any of these emails, you need to contact your local police and also file a complaint with IC3 - the links are available at http://fraudfyi.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_19.html

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  4. I too received the fraud email. I wrote the email address down then delete it.
    Thank you, for this site. I would never have known, how to not be a victim.

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  5. I just got the same emails a few days ago and i looked up the family and the donation giveaway an found out it was a scam thank you so much for this site.And who calls a bank to open a account over the phone and give a strange bank your info (No), you never have to give anybody money to get a donation or a giveaway that being given to you.Thank you for this so much

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  6. well, it is good idea to share this kind of information as business frauds and emails frauds are continuously received by most of us and we are unable to realize its a scam email.

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  7. Today we received an email from a woman masquerading as the Australian Prime Ministers Secretary offering a loan via one of his colleagues. Thanks for this site

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  8. I have just received aemail from a man calling himseĺf David Fisher he said he had won the lottery and that as a good deed he had decided to help others and that I was oneof the people he wished to he gave me details tocontact the the payment departmentof the Clydesdale bank in Scotland I phoned the bank in Scotland and the number he provided me with was out of service

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  9. Thank You very much for the info. I have just recently received email from the FBI telling to contact Suntrust etc. Im glad i saw this. I have fallen for a loan scam in the past I so wish i had done the checking & finding of this site than. Thank again for your blog keep up the good work.

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