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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "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)
• 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.
  • +4407024070569
• 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.
  • awarddepartmentteam@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: cocala winner_house01 <awarddepartmentteam@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:00:27 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: MICROSOFT AWARD TEAM


MICROSOFT AWARD TEAM
Microsoft Corporation
#1 Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052.

Ref: BTD/968/06
Batch: 409978E


ATTN: WINNER

This is in receipt of your mail.Your email was luckily drawn by a
computer balloting system as one of our winners in our experimental
lottery
bonanza from the prestigous MICROSOFT ONLINE PROMOTION.Thus, making you
the winner of the sum of 1,000,000.00GBP (One Million Great British
Pounds Sterlings).

This correspondence officially confirms that we are in receipt of
instructions relating to the payment of your lottery winnings of
1,000,000.00GBP (One Million Great British Pounds Sterlings)

Please complete the form below with correct information and email back
to us with a return email so that we can have a precise and
comprehensive record of our winners.

Your prize cheque has been vaulted safely with our corresponding Bank
prior to your readiness to complete your claims and would be presented
to you after verification of the data requested below..

To proceed with your claims, you would be required to fill the
Verification Form below completely and send to the security firm
incharge of
data verification whose informations are provided below:

LATIN SECURITY LIMITED
Contact: Mr.Benson Hunter
Phone: +44 (0) 7024070569
Email: awarddepartmentteam@yahoo.co.uk

THIS SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY THE BENEFICIARY OF THE STATED FUND, FOR
VERIFICATION BEFORE TRANSFER.

(1) BENEFICIARY FIRST NAME_______________

(2) BENEFICIARY LAST NAME_______________
(3) NATIONALITY_________________________

(4) RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS_________________
(5) DATE OF BIRTH_______________________
(6) SEX______________________________________
(7) TEL. NUMBER/_________________________
(8) FAX NUMBER_______________________________
(9) EMAIL ADDRESS_______________________
(10) AMOUNT WON________________________
(11) BATCH NUMBER_______________________
(12) REFERENCE NR________________________
(13) OCCUPATION_________________________

DECLARATION:

I_____________________HEREBY
DECLARE THAT THE ABOVE DATA ARE TRUE. THAT MY CLAIMS AGENT SHALL ACT AS
A FACILITATOR IN THE TRANSFER OF THE TOTAL FUND TO ME.

DATE_________________________________
(YOUR FULLNAMES)_____________________

Congratulations once again from the entire staff of the Microsoft Award
Team.


KELVIN JACKSON.
MICROSOFT AWARD TEAM.
United Kingdom






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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam