419 scam: "BRITISH TOBACCO COMPANY UNITED KINGDOM"<info@tobacco.com> OFFICIAL PRIZE NOTIFICATION

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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:
- "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
- "claims office" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
- "hundred thousand united states dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- ",500,000" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "00,000.00" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "u.k " (this email uses bad English)
- "btobaccoverification@hotmail.ch" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
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.
- +447024084811 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "BRITISH TOBACCO COMPANY UNITED KINGDOM" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <btobaccoverification@hotmail.ch>
Date: Sun, 2 May 2010 18:48:26 -0600
Subject: OFFICIAL PRIZE NOTIFICATION

BRITISH TOBACCO COMPANY UNITED KINGDOM
406 Bury New Rd.,
Whitefield,
Manchester M457SX U.K
REF NO: MELI-T/17-F044262312
Batch No. 13/FFP/LDL/037.

Lucky Winner,

TICKET NUMBER 9901-0148-790-691
SERIAL NUMBER 6109-17

OFFICIAL PRIZE NOTIFICATION

This is to inform you that you have been selected for a cash prize of
$1,500,000.00 ( one million Five Hundred Thousand United States
Dollars)in the International programs held on the 30th April, 2010 in
London Uk. The selection process was carried out through random
selection in our computerized email selection system(s) from a database
of over 250,000 email addresses drawn from all the continents of the
world.The British Tobacco Lottery is approved by the British Gaming
Board and also Licensed by The International Association of Gaming
Regulators (IAGR). To begin the processing of your prize you are to
contact our executive claims officer through the contact stated below
with your personal informations for verification purpose:

Mr. Ernest Sandoval.
Fiduciary Agent/Payment Officer.
20 Lausanne Road London, SW2 3JB ENGLAND.U.K
E-mail:btobaccoverification@hotmail.ch
Tel: +44702 408 4811

1.Name in full:...................................
2.Address:........................................
3.Nationality:....................................
4.Age:............................................
5.Occupation:.....................................
6.Phone/Fax:......................................
7.Present Country:................................

Winners are advised to keep their winning details/informations safe
from the public to avoid fraudulent claims.

*Winners under the age of 18 are automatically disqualified.
*Staff of the British Tobacco Company are not allowed to partake
in this Lottery.

Shannon Myers
Co-coordinator.

NOTE: Do not reply this mail. You are to contact your claims processor
immediately by email.This promo is all about emails, be aware.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam