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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.

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:
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
• 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.
  • +447011153079 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +4407024075373
• This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
  • britishtobacco_promoclaims@yahoo.co.uk

Fraud email example:

From: "MANSOOR AHMAD" <WEBDNXIEV401@prodigy.net>
Date: Tue, 06 Feb 2007 21:03:37 -0800
Subject: CONTACT THE CLAIMS AGENT

BRITISH TOBACCO
MEGA JACKPOT PROMOTION
Old Bond Street,
Whitefield, Manchester M457SX U.K.
Registered Charity No.QE77BT



Lucky Winner;
REF NO: MELI-T/17-F044262312
TICKET NUMBER 9901-0148-790-691
SERIAL NUMBER 6109-17


ELECTRONIC MAIL AWARD PROMOTION;
We are pleased to inform you that you are one of the
selected winners

of the BRITISH TOBACCO MEGA JACKPOT PROMOTION held on
the first quarter

of 2007. Your email address attached to ticket number

9901-0148-790-691, with serial number 6109-17 drew the
lucky numbers

990-11-815-37-10-83; the lottery was categorized into
seven zonal

stages (Africa,North America,South America,Central
America, Europe,

Oceania and Asia). Consequently, you have won the
lottery in the 2nd

category. You have therefore been approved for a lump
sum pay out of

(ONE MILLION,FIVE HUNDRED)US dollars Credited to file
REF

NO:MELI-T/17-F044262312 Batch No. 13/FFP/LDL/037.



All participants were selected through a computer
ballot system drawn

from 25,000 names from the Middle East, Asia,
Africa,Oceania,Central

America,South America, Europe and North America. All
participants in

this Lottery Program have been selected randomly
through a computer

Ballot System drawn from over 200,000 Companies and
30,000,000

individual emails address from all search engines and
web sites. This

promotional program will take place every year until
the Olympics games

begin in Beijing China in 2008. However,winners are
only eligible for

claims once.



Due to the mix up of some numbers and names, we ask
that you keep this

award strictly from public notice until your claims
have been processed

and your money remitted to your nominal bank account.
This is part of

our security protocol to avoid double claiming or
unscrupulous acts by

participants of this program.


ELIGIBILITY:


This promotion is offered only electronically via the
Internet and is

open to all persons from age 18 years and above with a
valid email

address and who live in any of the aforementioned
countries. This

promotion is void in all other countries and is also
void where

prohibited.


Principals and employees of the CAMELOT LOTTERY
PROMOTION and its

respective Parent subsidiaries and their immediate
families are not

eligible.


CLAIMS PROCEDURES:


It is our norm to allocate accredited agents for the
processing of

claims application. It is even more imperative for
overseas winners.


To begin your claims therefore, you are advised as a
matter of urgency,

to contact the under listed licensed and accredited
claims agent for

the processing of your prize award winning.


Please contact the clearing and forwarding house
(through your claims

agent only) the body assigned with the verification of
all emergent

winner. Therefore all protocols laid down by them must
be followed to

facilitate your claims;


CONTACT Details:
Mr. ALBERT GREGORY,
20 Lausanne Road London, SW2 3JB ENGLAND.U.K

MOBILE: +44 (0) 702 407 5373
LANDLINE:+44 70111 53079
Email:britishtobacco_promoclaims@yahoo.co.uk



You are to provide the claims agent with the under
listed information

as
soon as possible:

1. NAMES IN FULL:................................

2. ADDRESS:.....................................

3. NATIONALITY:.................................

4. AGE:.........................................

5. OCCUPATION:..................................

6. PHONE/FACSIMILE:...................................

7.COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE..........................


IMPORTANT NOTICE:

(a) Note that there exists a periodic condition on all
claims process,

failing so would lead to disqualification and
winnings Forfeiture.

Winners are therefore advised to expedite their claims
process.


(b) Being one of the lucky winners, you constitute
entrant's full and

unconditional agreement to an acceptance of our terms
and conditions of

claims to avoid any discrepancy in the cause of
payment of your prize

awards winning.


(c) To avoid double claims, you are advised to keep
your winning

details very confidential,as any discrepancies
resulting from a breach

of this confidentiality on the part of the winners
will be covered

solely by such winner as our staffs are bound by the
oath of secrecy

taken on employment.


For processing and remittance of your prize money to a
designated bank

account of your choice.Remember, all prize money must
be claimed not

later two weeks from your notification.All funds not
claimed on or

before two weeks will be returned as unclaimed.


NOTE: In order to avoid unnecessary delays and
complications,please

remember to quote your reference and batch numbers in
all

correspondences with this office. Furthermore, should
there be any

change of your address, do inform us as soon as
possible.

Congratulations again from all our staffs and thank
you for being part

of our Promotions program.



Sincerely,
BARONESS KAREN PETERSON.
Co-ordinator.


NB
Do not reply to this promotional email account.
Contact your claims agent, immediately.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam