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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:
  • "22 garden close, stamford" (address often used in fake lottery scams)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • ",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)
  • "00,000.00" (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.
  • +447045777482 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "Volkswagen Lottery" <vlvolkswagen49@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 02:19:34 +0100
Subject: Congratulation !!!!!!


*Welcome to **Volkswagen International *
FROM: THE DESK OF THE VICE PRESIDENT INTERNATIONAL
PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARDS DEPARTMENT Volkswagen
INTERNATIONAL SWEEPSTAKE LOTTERY COORPORATION
Our Ref: UN-0XX2/987/2008


Attention:

The Board of Directors, members of staff and the International Awareness
Promotion Department of the Volkswagen International Company wishes to
congratulate you on your success as the STAR PRIZE WINNER in this years'
VOLKSWAGEN International Awareness Promotion (IAP) held in JULY 12th, 2008.

It is a promotional program aimed at promoting VOLKSWAGEN NEW AUTO CAR
SERIES to the world market. While participants were selected through random
selection in our Computerized Email Selection System (C.E.S.S.) from a
database of over 4,000,000 names/email addresses of individual and companies
from Africa, America, Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, Middle East, and New
Zealand.

your email was attached to ticket number; FL754/22/76serial number
7741137002.

This batch draws the lucky numbers as follows FL/04/736207152/UK bonus
number 17, which consequently won the lottery in the second category. you
have been approved a lump sum pay of £500,000.00 (GBP500,000.0,POUNDS) in
Cash credit file ref: ILP/HW 47509/02 from the total Cash prize OF
$16.700,000,00 that is shared amongst eight Lucky winners in this category

All participants were selected through computer balloting system drawn form
Nine hundred thousand E-mail addresses from Canada, Australia United States,
Asia,Europe, Russians, Middle East, Africa and Oceania Part of our
international promotions program, which is Conducted annually.

Furthermore your detail (e-mail address) falls within our representative
office in London as indicated in your play coupon and your prize of
£500,000.0 (FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS) will be released to you from this
regional branch office in London.

We hope with part of your prize, you will Participate in our end of year
high stakes for US$1.3 Billion international draws.

HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE:
Simply contact our fiducially Agent
NAME: Dr.Abdul .H. Coleman
BY EMAIL :
Private Email :
claim.unit@live.com<http://us.mc520.mail.yahoo.com/mc/showMessage?fid=Inbox&sort=date&order=down&startMid=0&.rand=289349765&midIndex=0&mid=1_431136_APgxvs4AAFG2SHX41AjqGCBz9BA&eps=&f=1&nextMid=1_430620_AP0xvs4AABczSHXmPw7HmR%2BE6Uc>
Telephone : +447045777482
Website: www.volkswagen.co.uk

providing to him with the under listed information's:
===========
1.Name in full.-----------------------
2.Address.-------------------
3.Nationality.---------------
4.Age.-------------------------------
5.Occupation.-------------------------
6.Telephone Number.--------------------

For security reasons, we advice all winners to keep this information
confidential from the public until your claim is processed and your prize
released to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double
claiming and unwarranted taking advantage of this programmed by
non-participant or none-official Personnel.

NOTE:
All winnings must be claimed within 15th of August 2008. After this date
all unclaimed funds would be donated to charity homes.Remember to quote
you reference information in all correspondence with your Claims agent.

Congratulations once again on your winnings!!!

Best Regards
Rev Nicolas Sholes .D.
Co-coordinator Lottery International.

Location:22 Garden Close, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 2YP,London United Kingdom.

PLEASE ENSURE YOU CONTACT OUR CORRESPONDENT OFFICE OR YOUR CLAIMS AGENT
WITH HIS EMAIL ADDRESS AS WRITTEN ABOVE.

ANY BREACH OF CONFIDENTIALITY ON THE PART OF THE WINNERS WILL RESULT TO
DISQUALIFICATION.

AUTHORISED BY THE UK GOVERNMENT HER ROYAL MARJESTY QUEEN OF ENGLAND
(QUEEN ELIZABETH).

Copyright (c) 1994-2008 UK LOTTERY Inc. All rights reserved

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam