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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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "microsoft 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.
  • +447023058957 (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.
  • infoprioritycouriers@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:19:24 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Contact our affiliate priority courier company service for shipment of your parcel


Dear: Mrs M. van der Plas- Madigan,
 
Congratulations once again on behalf of the UK MICROSOFT LOTTERY BOARD. We do believe that your winnings will be put into good use for community, educational and business development.

On Behalf of the Screening Committee of UK MICROSOFT LOTTERY BOARD, I wish to formally announce to you that you have successfully passed the Email Screening and Verification Matching Test conducted for all online winners in your Category. Hence you are therefore cleared, your cheque has been issued and you can now claim your wins.

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 THE SUM OF 850,000,00 GBP
2.WINNING CERTIFICATE FROM THE UK MICROSOFT LOTTERY BOARD.
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 LEGALATTORNEY TO THE UK MICROSOFT LOTTERY BOARD.

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 (PRIORITY COURIER SERVICE COMPAMY). You are required to contact the courier officer of priority courier service company customer desk with the following details:

(PRIORITY COURIER SERVICE COMPAMY)
Mr. Mark Ford.
Email address: infoprioritycouriers@yahoo.co.uk
Phone Number: +44 702 305 8957


NOTE: Services rendered by PRIORITY COURIER SERVICE COMPAMY are to be paid by you and not the lottery board. Have it in mind that your won prize cannot be deducted from, this is because your cheque cannot be cashed by anyone. 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.


Best Regards,
Mr. John David
Uk Microsoft Lottery


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam