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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• 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!

Fraud email example:

From: UNIVERSAL LOTTERY <payment_officeuniversallottery07@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 22:21:40 +0100 (BST)
Subject: PAYMENT OPTIONS


UNIVERSAL STAKE LOTTERYINTERNATIONAL
12 BRIDGE STREET,STAINES MIDDLESEX TW18 4TP UK.

RE: PRIZE WINNING PAYMENT OF FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS
WINNING NUMBER: 7-14-18-23-31-45, SERIAL NUMBER: 652-662, TICKET NUMBER: 2752465896

WINNING EMAIL ADDRESS: exquisitelady@bresnan.net


Attention: Debra Howell,

We have verified our winning list after receiving your detailed information regarding your winning and confirmed that you are truly a winner of the second category of this award program.

Note: Due to our internal control measures, your winning amount of Five Hundred Thousand Pounds cannot be deducted. This is an agreement between this lottery award company, our paying bank and sponsors of this lottery program in conjunction with the International Monetary Fund transfer policy. This is to avoid any act of fraudulent activities. You will receive the full value of your winning prize of Five Hundred Thousand Pounds

You are advised to inform us on how you want to make your claim through the stated options below:

(1) Wire transfer via Barclays bank London: if you want your funds to be credited to your bank account through a computer base technology payment instrument – ATM (Electronics Wire Transfer), you will pay for transfer charges to our paying bank which will not be deducted from your winning prize.

(2) International certified bank draft: you will pay for the insurance and courier service charges of your draft to enable us dispatch your draft accordingly to avoid loss in transit. The insurance and courier service charges will also not be deducted from your winning prize.

(3) Hand delivery (coming down in person to our office in London to make your claim). If you are coming down in person to our office in London to make your claim, you will pay for our service charges and handling charges to our company (Universal Stake Lottery Int’l UK) before an instruction for the release of your winning prize will be forwarded to the paying bank (Barclays bank) . Also note that the handling and service charges will not be deducted from your winning prize.

Indicate to us on how you want to make your claims through the above options. As soon as we here from you, we will start processing your file for quick release of your winning prize.

Be informed that this office is working 24 hrs to make sure that all winning get to the winners within the given mandate. Your payment instrument/file will be returned back to us as unclaimed failure to meet up with the requirement before the given mandate.

If there should be any change of address, please do not hesitate to inform us on time. Always quote your winning numbers in all your correspondence to this office.

Congratulation once again! Wishing you and your family a happy celebration.

Sincerely,
James Williams

Int’l payment office (Universal Stake Lottery Int’l UK)

Past winners.

REV. JAMES WILLIAMS






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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam