419 scam: Google Incorporations <dspears34@googlemail.com> CONGRATULATIONS!!!

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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

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:

This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "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)
- ",500,000" (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)
- "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. )
- "unclaimdept@gala.net" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
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!

Fraud email example:

From: Google Incorporations <dspears34@googlemail.com>
Reply-To: unclaimdept@gala.net
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:09:55 -0200
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Google Incorporations.
Stamford New Road,
Altrincham Cheshire,
WA14 1EP
London,
United Kingdom.

Winning No: GUK/877/798/2009
Ticket No: GUK/699/33/2009
Notification Date: 27/10/2009

GOOGLE ANNIVERSARY WINNING NOTIFICATION.

We wish to congratulate you once again on this note, for being part of our
winners selected this year. This promotion was set-up to encourage the
active users of the Google search engine and the Google ancillary
services.

Hence we do believe with your winning prize, you will continue to be
active and patronage to the Google search engine. Google is now the
biggest search engine worldwide and in an effort to make sure that it
remains the most widely used search engine, we ran an online e-mail beta
test which your email address won US$1,500,000.00 (One Million, Five Hundred
Thousand United States dollars) CONGRATULATIONS!!!

We wish to formally announce to you that you have successfully passed the
requirements, statutory obligations, verifications, validations and
satisfactory report Test conducted for all online winners.

A winning cheque will be issued in your name by Google Promotion Award
Team, You have therefore won the entire sum of US$1,500,000.00 (One
Million, Five Hundred
Thousand United States dollars) and also a
certificate of prize claims will be sent along side your winning cheque.

Mr. Paul Zimmerman
Google Promotion Award Team
Email: unclaimdept@gala.net

You are advised to contact your Foreign Transfer Manager with the
following details to avoid unnecessary delay and complications:

VERIFICATION AND FUNDS RELEASE FORM.
(1) Your contact address.
(2) Your Tel/Fax numbers.
(3) Your Nationality/Country.
(4) Your Full Name/Sex.
(5) Occupation/Age.
(6) Ever won an online lottery?
(7) Your Preferred Method of Receiving Your Prize (From Below)

Mode Of Prize Remittance.

(1)Cash Pick-Up (You coming Down to United Kingdom Personally to Pick Your
Prize).

(2)Bank to Bank online wire transfer.

The Google Promotion Award Team has discovered a huge number of double
claims due to winners informing close friends relatives and third parties
about their winning and also sharing their pin numbers. As a result of
this, these friends try to claim the lottery on behalf of the real
winners. The Google Promotion Award Team has reached a decision from
headquarters that any double claim discovered by the Lottery Board will
result to the canceling of that particular winning, making a loss for both
the double claimer and the real winner, as it is taken that the real
winner was the informer to the double claimer about the lottery. So you
are hereby strongly advised once more to keep your winnings strictly
confidential until you claim your prize.

Congratulations from the Staffs & Members of the Google interactive
Lotteries Board Commission.

Sincerely,
Dr. Leslie Spears.
Google Promotion Award Team

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Anti-fraud resources:

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