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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:

Fraud email example:

From: "PCH Payment Department" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <payment@onlineabbeysecurity.com>
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 2010 19:19:11 -0700
Subject: Acknowledgement.

GoodDay,

In correspondence with the underlisted package received from the PCH Lottery Foundation, we hereby inform you that your particulars/cheque with Reference Number: PCH/08281/LLB has been received in this office. This means that you have been officially cleared for payment by the Verifications Department at the headquarters of the National Lottery. Your winning cheque, original copy of your winning certificate, together with a covering document (Money Laundering protection and Letter of Affidavit for Claims) from the British government stating that the money was obtained legally through the National Lottery promotion will be sent to you.

To begin the final step of the claims process, which are the delivery of your endorsed winning documents and a Bank Draft of 195,000 Gbp. With regards to this, attached to this mail is our DELIVERY INFORMATION REQUEST FORM (FORM-HLP). Appropriate completion of this form ensures that your package is not delivered to the wrong person.

(Form HLP)


FULL NAME.......................... ...........

COMPANY NAME: [optional] ...........................

FULL RESIDENTIAL CONTACT ......................

ADDRESS:...................... ................

SEX .............................. ........ .....

OFFICIAL AGE .............................. .....

MARITAL STATUS.............................. ..

OCCUPATION /PROFESSIONAL STATUS..............

HAVE YOU A PASSPORT OR LICENCE (identification on delivery).........

TEL.............

.FAX..........

NATIONALITY................... ..........

E-MAIL..................


AMOUNT TO RECEIVE..................

SCANNED COPY OF A VALID IDENTIFICATION NUMBER............................................................

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF COMPANY/ INDIVIDUAL ..................


REFUNDABLE INSURANCE PREMIUM DEPOSIT

You will be required to make a refundable insurance premium deposit of £667.50 Pounds Sterling to the payment department. This guarantees ,that should anything go wrong in the course of delivery, that our insurance company, will pay you the prize money in full, this is to ensure that you receive your prize money, in case of an unfortunate incident. Your prize package is high value package as such must be covered by insurance.

Although it is most likely that nothing would go wrong in the course of delivery, the insurance premium deposit is mandatory, to prevent loss of funds. This is in accordance, with the British gaming laws of 1996 as amended in 2003.

On successful delivery of your prize package, your insurance premium deposit would be refunded in full.

Note that this refundable insurance premium deposit is not deductable from your prize money, due to the gaming laws which also specify that prize money must be paid out in full sum won with no exception, to prevent misappropriation of winners' prize for any fees or charges. This is also due to the hard cover insurance policy on the prize money, which stipulates that prize money be paid out in full sum insured.


Upon reciept of the DELIVERY INFORMATION REQUEST FORM from you via a reply email, We will forward to you our terms and conditions of services for an acknowledgement, thereafter an immediate shipment of your winning package will commence after due payment of the Insurance Premium Fees.



Once again, congratulations.

Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. Catherine Willoughby
(Payment officer)


NB: YOU ARE TO SEND A SCANNED COPY OF A VALID IDENTIFICATION

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