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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
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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.

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:

• The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "camelot lottery" (no such lottery exists)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "clear source of funds certificate" ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
  • "high court" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "courier service" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "cheque " (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 fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
  
  1. They don't notify winners by email.
  2. You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
  3. They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
  4. They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
  5. They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
  6. They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
  7. They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +447011146444 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +448709742902 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: Mr Allen Maxwell <claimsagent_exite_mywaylottery01@yahoo.ie>
Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2007 10:14:04 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Contact Delivery Team (delivery_officer@scarletuk.net)




My Way / Excite Lottery (Camelot Lottery)
Watford, Head Office and Regional Centre Camelot Group plc,
Tolpits Lane,
Watford, Herts,
WD18 9RN



Dear Garion Kust,

Congratulations once again on behalf of the My Way / Excite Lottery (Camelot Lottery). We do believe that your winnings will be put into good use for community, educational and business development. On Behalf of the Screening Committee of Camelot Lottery, I wish to formally announce to you that you have successfully passed the Email Screening and Verification Matching Test conducted for all online winners in your Category. Hence you are therefore cleared, your cheque has been issued and you can now claim your wins. All necessary documents that will facilitate the clearance of your cheque in your name has been processed. Your parcel contains the following documents:

1.WINNING CHEQUE VALUED THE SUM OF £860,651.00
2.WINNING CERTIFICATE FROM THE CAMELOT LOTTERY.
3.CLEAR SOURCE OF FUNDS CERTIFICATES(C.S.F.C.)
4.LETTER OF AFFIDAVITS FROM THE BRITISH HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE, STATING THAT THE WINNING WAS RECEIVED LEGALLY FROM THE UNIVERSAL DONATION PROGRAM, AND DUELY SIGNED BY THE LEGAL ATTORNEY TO CAMELOT LOTTERY

These document has been securely sealed and packed for security reason which makes it imposible for anyone to View it until it;s been delivered to you.


Your parcel with identification number: PARCEL/NUM/9845 has been sent to our affiliate courier company (SCARLET COURIER SERVICE). You are required to contact the courier officer of the SCARLET COURIER SERVICE customer desk with the below information.

Full Name:
Full Address:
Tel:
Parcel Identification Number:


(CONTACT DETAILS)
SCARLET COURIER SERVICE.
Head Office & Accounts 658 Ajax Avenue Slough Berkshire SL1 4BG.
Handling Officer: Hon. John Smith
Tel: +44 701 114 6444
Fax: +44 870 974 2902
Email: delivery_officer@scarletuk.net

NOTE: Have it in mind that your won prize cannot be deducted from, this is because your cheque cannot be cashed by anyone. This is in accordance with section 13(1)(n) of the national gambling act as adopted in 1993 and amended on 3RD July 1996 by the constitutional assembly. This is to protect winners and to avoid misappropriation of funds.

Its is imperative that you add your identification number {PARCEL/NUM/9845} as the subject of any correspondence with the courier company to ensure they respond in a timely manner. I will require a concise update on proceedings with the firm as soon as you are in contact with them. If you need any assistance whatsoever, please do not hesitate to let me know.


Congratulations once more.

Sign. Mr. Allen Maxwell
Executive Secretary, My Way / Excite Lottery (Camelot Lottery)

------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ -----------------------
This e-mail is intended only for the above addresses. It may contain
privileged information. If you are not the addressee you must not copy,
distribute, disclose or use any of the information in it. If you have
received it in error please delete it and immediately notify the sender.
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ -----------------------



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam