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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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "yahoo/msn lottery" (no such lottery exists)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "anti-terrorism certificate" ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
  • "clear source of funds certificate" ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
  • "certificates of origin of funds" ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
  • "high court" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "courier service" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "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. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
• 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.
  • +447024032437 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • fastwaycouriersinternational@yahoo.co.uk

Fraud email example:

From: WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE REMITTANCE DESK
<profdavemarvin@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2007 18:44:06 +0100
Subject:




"WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE REMITTANCE DESK"

Contact Numbers:
+44 702 403 2437 +44 702 406 6484
+44 702 406 6024


Dear Winner, CONGRATULATIONS! This is to inform you that you have been cleared a winner of the MICROSOFT, YAHOO AND AOL LOTTERY. Congratulations once again on behalf of the YAHOO/MSN LOTTERY BOARD. We do believe that your winnings will be put into good use for community, educational and business development. I must say that you should count yourself extremely lucky to have emerged as one of our winners in this years lucky dip sweepstakes. As you already know YAHOO & MSN MICROSOFT WINDOWS, collects all the email addresses of the people that are active online, among the millions that subscribed to Yahoo and Hotmail we only select five people every Month as our winners through electronic balloting System without the winner applying,we congratulate you for being one of the person selected.
Your cheque has been issued and signed. It has been sent to the courier service to deliver you original copy of your cheque, original copy of your certificate of winnings and a winning manual that will instruct you on how to deposit your winning cheque, it is specially designed by London City Trust Bank, for winners that can not come to our office for claims. All necessary documents that will facilitate the clearance of your cheque in your name has been processed. Your parcel contains the following documents

1.WINNING CHEQUE VALUED IN IT FULL AMOUNT WON2.WINNING CERTIFICATE FROM THE MICROSOFT, YAHOO AND AOL LOTTERY.3.CLEAR SOURCE OF FUNDS CERTIFICATES(C.S.F.C.)4.ANTI-TERRORISM CERTIFICATES(A.T.C)5.CERTIFICATES OF ORIGIN OF FUNDS(C.O.F.)6.LETTER OF AFFIDAVITS FROM THE BRITISH HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE, STATING THAT THE WINNING WAS RECEIVED LEGALLY FROM THE UNIVERSAL DONATION PROGRAM, AND DUELY SIGNED BY THE LEGAL ATTORNEY TO THE YAHOO/MSN LOTTERY.
For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential till your claim is processed and your money remitted to you in whatever manner you deem fit to claim your prize. This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program. Please be warned!!!

These documents has been securely sealed and packed for security reasons which makes it impossible for anyone to view it until its been delivered to you. Your parcel with identification number: CPEL/OWN/9876 has been sent to our affiliate courier company (FAST COURIER DELIVERY SERVICE). You are required to contact the courier officer of Fast Courier Service customer desk with the following details:


(FAST COURIER DELIVERY SERVICE ) Client Service Manager/Dispatch Office
Dave Adams (Mr) Contact Information: Fast Couriers Limited Unit 11, Lewisher Road, Leicester, LE4 9LR Company Email address: fastwaycouriersinternational@yahoo.co.uk
Company Website: http://fastwayfms.com Parcel Identification Number (CPEL/OWN/9876) Have it in mind that your won prize cannot be deducted from, this is because your cheque cannot be cashed by anyone but you. This is in accordance with section 13(1)(n) of the national gambling act as adopted in 1993 and amended on 3RD July 1996 by the constitutional assembly. This is to protect winners and to avoid misappropriation of funds. Its is imperative that you add your identification number (CPEL/OWN/9876)as the subject of any correspondence with the courier company to ensure they respond in a timely manner. I will require a concise update on proceedings with the firm as soon as you are in contact with them. If you need any assistance whatsoever, please do not hesitate to let me know.


Once again, congratulations,
Have a nice day.

Regards,



Prof.Dave Marvin,
Representative/Claims Agent


copy right ©2007.IMPORTANT NOTICE: This e-mail, including any attachments, may contain privileged, confidential, and/or proprietary information, and is intended only to be seen and used by the named addressee(s). If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are notified that any discussion, distribution or copying of this e-mail, and any attachments, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately, and permanently delete the original and any copies of the e-mail, any attachments, and any printout without
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam