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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) 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:
  • "money transfer control number" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. )
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "courier service" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
• 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!
• Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
• 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.
  • +447024064685 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: UNIVERSAL EXPRESS <universalexpress_cs@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2007 19:34:06 +0100 (BST)
Subject: COST OF DELIVERY (REG.NO 23980)




(REG.NO 23980)
29 July, 2007.
Dear customer,

This is to inform you that we have in our possession for delivery to you:

1. A certified winning check of £1,000,000.00 ( One Million Great British Pounds) that is written out with your full names

2. A winning certificate to certify that you are the true winner of the stated funds.

Please, be informed that we do not deliver to P.O.Box address or street corners but to your residence. We are a well established company offering courier and transport services 24 hours a day for priority delivery of letters, parcels and consignments to any destination.

Universal Express Delivery Services with its high security storage and network of affiliate security partners and agents around the world provide you with storage and specialized courier services through which you could send high quality goods like precious stones, art crafts and Classified commodities to any part of the world.

Please reconfirm delivery destination information:

NAME: Await

ADDRESS: Await
Tel. No. Await


Your Parcel has been classified a top priority delivery, with delivery identification as CLASSA1501ACS.

The description of the parcel to be delivered is stated thus;

An original certificate of weight: -------------0.15kg
Bonded draft of weight : -------------0.17kg
Total weight of parcel : -------------0.32kg
Color of Parcel : -------------Brown

Note that we do not operate on COD. Below are the mandatory delivery charges that you required to pay to enable us courier your parcel to you:

STATUS OF DELIVERY [PLEASE CHOOSE ONE THAT BEST SUITS YOU]

Courier charges ...............................£ 20.00
Administrative ...............................£90.00
Insurance ...............................£150.00
TOTAL £260.00
Delivery duration ...........................Same day delivery



Courier charges ................................£ 20.00
Administrative .............................. £90.00
Insurance ...............................£120.00
TOTAL £230.00
Delivery duration ...........................Two (2) to three (3) working days delivery



Courier charges ...............................£ 20.00
Administrative ...............................£80.00
Insurance ...............................£110.00
TOTAL £210.00
Deliver duration ...........................Four (4) to Seven (7) working days delivery

The charges are a little high because of the insurance cover we have undertaken incase of loss, Damage or theft of your highly sensitive document before it gets to you. We assume all Responsibilities incase of any eventualities.

You are to make the payment through Money gram or Western Union money Transfer so as to speed up the process of delivery. The payment should be made in the name of our accounts officer;


NAME: Joseph Bright .
91 Station Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7LTUnited Kingdom



Notify this office on completion of payment, either with a fax copy of the transfer slip or you may email the following information as they appear on the western union transfer slip.

1. Name and Address of Sender
2. Amount Sent
3. Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN)/Reference number
4. Test Question and Answer If Any

A receipt of the above payment will be couriered to you from our office, along with your winning check and certificate.

Your parcel shall be dispatched to you immediately we receive a reconfirmation of your address and evidence of payment of the above charges. A dispatch notice indicating the date and time of departure and expected date of delivery will be sent to you. It will take less than forty eight hours to get your document to you. You will be required to sign for the parcel personally with a copy of your international passport or your driver's license as identification.

All orders not delivered within Five (5) working days from this communication will be returned to Lottery House International promotional headquarters as unclaimed.

Thank you for the confidence you have in us.

Have a nice day.

Regards,

Mr Joseph Bright (Dispatch Officer)
TEL: +44 702 406 4685
+44 703 182 2118
Universal Express Courier Agency, United Kingdom
Corporate Headquarters, 91 Station Road, West Drayton,
Middlesex UB7 7LTUnited Kingdom.







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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam