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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.

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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:
  • "please endeavor to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million united states dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
  • "hundred thousand united states dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
• 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.
  • +31616719230 (Netherlands, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • info_publicofficer100@yahoo.com.hk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "INGKA FOUNDATION" <info_001@blastnet.org>
Reply-To: info_publicofficer100@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 20:36:26 +0200
Subject: NOTIFICATION FOR CASH AID


Foundation's Officer,
Stitching INGKA Foundation,
The, Netherlands.
http://www.ikea.nl/
Dear Sir,
NOTIFICATION FOR CASH AID.
This is to notify you that you have been chosen By the Board of trustees of
the above International charity organization based in the Netherlands as one
of the final recipients of a Cash Grant/Donation for your own personal,
education and business development The Dutch-registered Stitching INGKA
Foundation is named after Kampar, and owns INGKA Holding, the parent company
for all IKEA stores. The charitable foundation was reported by the business
newspaper, the Economist in May 2006 to be technically the world's
wealthiest charity - with an estimated value of at least US$36 billion in
2006 (larger than the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) - but its primary
purpose is, by some, believed to be corporate tax-avoidance and
anti-takeover protection for IKEA. Kampar is chairman of the foundation.
Having been rated as the biggest charity foundation in Europe for the year
2007, the foundation has decided to randomly select email addresses that
would benefit from this year's donation/award.
Stitching INGKA Foundation in conjunction with the United Nations
Organization (UNO) and the European Union is giving out a yearly donation of
One Hundred Million United States Dollars as specific Donations/Grants to 50
lucky international recipients worldwide in different categories or their
educational pursuit, health care, personal Business development and uplift
of their environment. These funds are freely given to you to use for your
business educational and
personal development and at least 30% to be used by you to develop a part of
your environment, as this is a yearly program, which is a measure of
universal development strategy, and eradication of poverty.
Please kindly note that you are not the only beneficiary in your country
this year and your country is not the only country that is benefiting from
this donation, as beneficiaries have been chosen from countries from all
continents.
The idea of this donation is that within ten years from now, there will be
notable richness among many unusual people around the world.
This will give many people the opportunity to get their lives to a stage
where they had always wanted.
Kindly note that, you will only be chosen to receive the donation once.
Which means that, subsequent yearly donation will not get to you again, so
it’s your choice to spend the donation wisely on something that will last
you a long time. And please do not bother following up this email, if you
have benefited from this donation in previous years.
Based on the random selection exercise of internet service providers (ISP)
and millions of Super market cash invoices worldwide, you were selected
among the lucky recipients to receive the award sum of $1,500,000.00(One
Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States dollars). As charity
donations/aid from the Stitching INGKA Foundation and the UNO in accordance
with the enabling act of Parliament. Note that, your email was selected from
either the internet, or a Shop's cash invoice around your area in which you
might have purchased something from.
You are required to expeditiously Contact the Executive Secretary below for
qualification documentation and processing of your claims, from Monday
through Sunday.
On contact with this officer, you'll be given your donation pin number which
you will use in collecting the funds. Please endeavor to quote your
Qualification numbers (N-222-6747, E-900-56) in all discussions.
***********************************
Executive Secretary,
Mr.Leonaert Bramer
Fax: +31-847-368-137
Tel: +31-616-719-230
Email: info_publicofficer100@yahoo.com.hk
**********************************
Please note that these donations/Grants are strictly administered by
"European Union" under delegated powers from the UNO. you are by all means
hereby advised to keep this whole information confidential until you have
been able to collect your donation, as there have been many cases of double
and unqualified claim, due to beneficiaries informing third parties about
his/her donation.
Finally, all funds should be claimed by their respective beneficiaries, not
later that 20 days after notification, as failure to do so will be to that
particular beneficiary cancelled and its donation reserved for next years
recipients.
On behalf of the Board kindly accept our warmest congratulations
Yours Sincerely,
Dr. Benjamin Van Prijs
(Foundation officer)
http://www.ikea.nl

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam