419 scam: "FACEBOOK PROMO TEAM" <info@facebook.co.uk> FACEBOOK

joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet

Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days

Home

About Us

Spam

419/Nigeria

Fraud

Contact

"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:

An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
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:
- "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
- "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)
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 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.
- promoteamfacebook@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "FACEBOOK PROMO TEAM" <info@facebook.co.uk>
Reply-To: promoteamfacebook@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2011 07:41:06 -0200 (BRST)
Subject: FACEBOOK

Attn : Beneficiary,

CONGRATULATIONS !!! CONGRATULATIONS !!! CONGRATULATIONS !!!

You have been selected as one (1) among the (10) Lucky winners in this
Year's Face book online
Splash Face book Promo normally held in the second Month of every year
since Face-book has
become a success and highly accepted Worldwide,Ten stable face book
accounts are selected
from The Middle Easter Region by Our Internet Processing Unit out of
millions of face-book
user and Our ten (10) Lucky winners have been selected from the five
continents currently
connected to the Face book network around the World.Winning Award attached to
Ticket Number (5647600545189) and Ballot number (BT: 12052006/20).

Your Account emerged as the 6th beneficiary in this Promo and was chosen
at random by our
Digital Random Internet Processing Service (D.R.I.B.P.S) and your reward
is coming from
the interests generated from advertising and copyrights from the Face book
network and this
program is fully supported by i,Mark Elliot Zuckerberg {CEO/founder of
face book} and the
members of staff for the World Gambling promotional program and Lottery
Sweepstakes.
Congratulations once again from Face book , You are entitled to the the
sum of $1,500,000:00
(One Million,Five hundred thousand United States Dollars),being the Sum
given out as
compensation for your patronage on Face book.

Being the 6th Beneficiary out of the Ten for this Year's Face-book
Promotional Lottery
Sweepstakes,you fall in the 2nd Category for the winnings which is
Category{B},Istanbul
Payment District in TURKEY with your fiduciary Agent information being
given below:

Fiduciary Agent: ARTHUR ANDERSON
Email: promoteamfacebook@yahoo.com
Get to him with the below information as soon as you get this notification
and get your cash
Prize of {1,500,000'00},One million,Five hundred thousand United States
Dollars as soon as
possible as three winners among the Ten that won has already gotten theirs.

FULL NAME: ...............................................
FULL CONTACT ADDRESS:.....................................
MOBILE PHONE NUMBER: .....................................
OCCUPATION: ..............................................
MARITAL STATUS AND AGE:...................................
COUNTRY/NATIONALITY:......................................
YOUR EMAIL: .............................................
ADDRESS: .................................................
TICKET NUMBER: ...........................................
BALLOT NUMBER:............................................

NB : Do not disclose this to any one until you claim your Cash prize for
security reasons.
We have had cases where last winners complain of someone else claiming
their prizes and accounts
being forged and tendered for the Prize money,for security reasons,you have
to quote your TICKET NUMBER and the CATEGORY you fall into as your subject
when you are getting
to your fiduciary agent and further more,no upfront charges will be
requested from you
to get your winnings as this is totally a free Cash Prize Promo from Face
book to its Users.

Officially Endorsed by Mark Elliot Zuckerberg,
CEO/Founder of Face-book,
All rights reserved(C) 2011 FACE-BOOK ONLINE SPLASH PROMO !!!

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam