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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.

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Fraud email example:

From: "darryn clarke" <darrynclarke@congratulations-ldl.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2005 14:53:38 +0000
Subject: NOTICE....CONGRATULATION!!!

The National Lottery Logo  
UK NATIONAL LOTTERY 
BROOKTENTH HOUSE, 
64-61 CHANDOS PLACE, 
COVENT GARDEN, 
LONDON,UK. WH2N 7LP.
 
 
FROM: THE DESK OF THE PROMOTIONS MANAGER, INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT, REF NO: AG/TD83627152194577 AND BATCH NO: 82/174/AHS
 
ATTENTION: SIR/MADAM,
                     
                                 RE/AWARD NOTIFICATION
 
WE ARE PLEASED TO INFORM YOU OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT (TODAY16th,September,2005) OF WINNERS OF THE UK NATIONAL LOTTERY HELD ON THE 7th,September,2005,AS PART OF OUR SECOND QUARTER OF THE YEAR BONANZA. YOU OR YOUR COMPANY, ATTACHED TO TICKET NUMBER 296-211-8791-447, WITH SERIAL NUMBER 3209-26 DREW THE LUCKY NUMBERS 78-11-90-51-34-64, AND CONSEQUENTLY WON THE LOTTERY IN CATEGORY A. YOU HAVE THEREFORE BEEN APPROVED FOR A LUMP SUM PAY OUT OF G.B.P 4,688,477.00 (FOUR MILLION, SIX HUNDRED AND EIGHTY EIGHT THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY SEVEN GREAT BRITISH POUNDS). IN CASH CREDITED TO FILE REFNO:AG/TD83627152194577  THIS IS FROM TOTAL PRIZE MONEY OF 14,065,431.00 GBP SHARED AMONG 3 WINNERS IN THIS CATEGORY. ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE SELECTED THROUGH A COMPUTER BALLOTING SYSTEM DRAWN FROM 97,000 NAMES FROM MIDDLE EAST, ASIA, AFRICA, SOUTH AMERICA, EUROPE ,NORTH AMERICA AND OCEANIA AS PART OUR INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS PROGRAM, WHICH IS CONDUCTED ANNUALLY.
                                           
                                   CONGRATULATIONS!!!
 
YOUR FUND IS NOW DEPOSITED WITH ALPHA GATE INSURANCE CORPORATION, DUE TO THE MIX UP OF SOME NUMBERS AND NAMES, WE ASK THAT YOU KEEP THIS AWARD STRICTLY FROM PUBLIC NOTICE UNTIL YOUR CLAIM HAS BEEN PROCESSED AND YOUR MONEY REMITTED TO YOUR ACCOUNT. THIS IS PART OF OUR SECURITY PROTOCOL TO AVOID DOUBLE CLAIMING OR UNSCRUPULOUS ACTS BY PARTICIPANTS OF THIS PROGRAM. WE HOPE WITH A PART OF YOUR PRIZE, YOU WILL PARTICIPATE IN OUR END OF YEAR HIGH STAKES GBP1.1 BILLION INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY.
 
TO BEGIN YOUR CLAIM, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CLAIMS AGENT;
MR.ERIC MAXEN.
ALPHA GATE INSURANCE CORPORATION,
LONDON,UK.
EMAIL:
claimsagentmaxen@uk2.net

FOR DUE PROCESSING AND REMITTANCE OF YOUR PRIZE MONEY TO A DESIGNATED ACCOUNT OF YOUR CHOICE. REMEMBER, YOU MUST CONTACT ALPHA GATE INSURANCE CORPORATION, NOT LATER THAN 14(FOURTEEN) DAYS UPON RECEIPT OF THIS NOTIFICATION. AFTER THIS DATE, ALL FUNDS WILL BE RETURNED AS UNCLAIMED. ALL CORRESPONDENCES TO MR.ERIC MAXEN, EITHER BY FAX OR EMAIL, SHOULD HAVE THIS EMAIL SENT ALONG WITH IT AND ALSO, YOUR FULL ADDRESS, YOUR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE AND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO WHICH THIS EMAIL IS SENT, SHOULD BE CLEARLY AND BOLDLY WRITTEN IN YOUR RESPONSE TO YOUR CLAIMS AGENT.
 
NOTE: IN ORDER TO AVOID UNNECESSARY DELAYS AND COMPLICATIONS, PLEASE REMEMBER TO QUOTE YOUR REFERENCE AND BATCH NUMBERS IN EVERY ONE OF YOUR CORRESPONDENCES TO ALPHA GATE INSURANCE CORPORATION. FURTHERMORE, SHOULD THERE BE ANY CHANGE OF YOUR ADDRESS, DO INFORM YOUR CLAIMS AGENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
 
CONGRATULATIONS,ONCE AGAIN FROM ALL OUR STAFF AND THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF OUR PROMOTIONS
PROGRAM.
 
SINCERELY,
MRS.TRACY ROBERT.
THE PROMOTIONS MANAGER,
UK NATIONAL LOTTERY.
 
N.B. ANY BREACH OF CONFIDENTIALITY ON THE PART OF THE WINNERS WILL RESULT TO
DISQUALIFICATION. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MAIL. CONTACT YOUR CLAIMS AGENT
 

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