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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• 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 phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "insurance fee " (this will cost you money - that's what the scam is about)
  • "affidavit " (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "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)
  • "cheques " (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)
• 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.
  • +447040110338 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +447092863046 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "Delivery Department" <nationallotterydeliverydepartment@msn.com>
Reply-To: nationalotterydeliverydepartment@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 00:43:42 +0000
Subject: DELIVERY UPDATE.

 

ATTENTION: VICTIM-FULLNAME,

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

 

Your particulars have been received in this office. This means that you have been officially cleared for payment by the verifications Dept. at the headquarters of the UK National Lottery. Your winning cheque, original copy of your winning certificate, together with a covering document (Money Laundering protection and Letter of Affidavit for Claims) from the British government stating that the money was obtained legally through their National Lottery promotion will be sent to you as soon as you choose from any of the option stipulated below. We can not scan a copy of any of these documents to you now as the courier agent nor courier delivery company does not have the right to view customers package.

To begin the final step of the claims process, which is the shippment of your winning cheque prize to you. With regards to this, there are Three options open to you. You are required to select the most convenient of the Three.

The options, together with their associated conditions are presented below. You are being required to pay the neccesary courier charges to enable us send you your cheque and other claim documents.
Shipping your winning cross cheque to you via any of this channel listed below:

DHL

Mailing:     50.00

UPS
Mailing:     60.00

FEDEX

Mailing:     60.00

 

"PLUS INSURANCE: 550" (KINDLY BE INFORMED THAT THE DOCUMENTS AND CHEQUE CANNOT BE SENT TO YOU WITHOUT BEEN INSURED AS IT WILL VIOLATE THE FEDERAL ACT OF PARLIAMENT GOVERNING INTERNATIONAL CHEQUE CLEARING) SO THE INSURANCE FEE IS TO BE PAYED IN ADDITION TO THE COST OF ANY OF YOUR COURIER OPTION ABOVE. ALSO BE INFORMED THAT THE COURIER COMPANY DO NOT INSURE DELIVERY, AND AS A RESULT DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE INSURANCE, SO ANY COURIER COMPANY YOU CHOOSE, WETHER DHL, UPS OR FEDEX,  AS YOUR SHIPPING OPTION, DOES NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE INSURANCE, THE INSURANCE IS TO BE DONE HERE IN THE UK NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY. ALL THIS WILL BE DONE THROUGH THE DELIVERY DEPARTMENT.

This department declined reverse payment for these charges, stating that it is against their professional policy towards ensuring the safe delivery of the cheque to you. That if a reverse payment is made, and something goes wrong, that we/you cannot sue the courier company or insurance company to recover the full value of the fund as stipulated in the cheque since payment for insurance cover was not made at point of mailing. With the above reason, reverse payment is ruled out. This means that you are liable to the insurance and delivery fee.

Note: that your prize is protected by a hardcover insurance policy, which makes it impossible to deduct any amount from the money before it has been remitted to you. This means that the above charges cannot be deducted from the prize and hence must be provided by you before your prize is transferred to you. Failure to produce the requested insurance and courier delivery fee will mean cancellation of your winning, as the headquarters of the UK national lottery did not provide extra funds, but winnings cheques of winners from different category and necessary documents to clear the winning cheques by these winners. 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

Send your response to indicate your option within the next 24hrs, because you only have 7 days to claim this cheque and after this period, your cash prize will be deemed to have been forfeited by you and will be reused in the drawings of the next edition of the lottery.

Once again, congratulations.


YOURS SINCERELY,
MR MIKE NEAL.
(DELIVERY OFFICER)

TEL:  +44 704 011 0338

TEL:  +44 702 408 4871 
FAX: +44 709 286 3046

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam