419 scam: Google =?iso-8859-1?Q?Incorporation=AE.?= <info@google.com> WINNING NOTIFICATION

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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:
- "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 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.
- google_department@yahoo.co.jp (Yahoo, Japan; can be used from anywhere worldwide)

Fraud email example:

From: Google =?iso-8859-1?Q?Incorporation=AE.?= <info@google.com>
Reply-To: google_department@yahoo.co.jp
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:31:27 -0800 (PST)
Subject: WINNING NOTIFICATION

Google Incorporation®.
Belgrave House,
76 Buckingham Palace Road,
London SW1W 9TQ,
United Kingdom.

GOOGLE END WINNING NOTIFICATION.

We wish to congratulate you once again on this note, for being part of our
lucky winners selected this month of FEBRUARY. This promotion was set-up
to encourage the active use 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 this company. Google is now the
world leading search engine worldwide, and in an effort to sure that it
remains the most widely used search engine, an online e-mail balloting was
carried out without your knowledge and it was officially released today.
We wish to formally announced to you that your email address was attached
the sum of 850,000.00 {Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand Great British
Pounds Sterling's}.

We also wish to inform you that you have successfully passed the
requirements, statutory obligations, verifications and our satisfactory
report test conducted for all our online winners. A winning Cheque will be
issued in your name by Google Promotion Award Team, and also a certificate
of prize claims will be sent along side your winning Cheque.

These are your award details.
Security Code Number: GID/98989GI.
Ticket No: GID/492/70/2011
Winning Number: GID/133/365/2011

Information's required from you are part of our precautionary measure to
avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program. To claim your
won prize, please contact our Foreign Transfer Manager MR. MAXWELL
ROBINSON neatly filling the verification and fund release form below.
VERIFICATION AND FUNDS RELEASE FORM.

(1) Your contact address.
(2) Your Tel/Fax numbers.
(3) Your Nationality/Country.
(4) Your Full Name.
(5) Sex.
(6) Occupation.
(7) Age.
(8) Ever won an online lottery ?

Mode of Prize Remittance.

(1) Courier Delivery Of your Certified Winning Cheque Name and other
Winning Documents safely to you.
(2) Bank Transfer of your Winning to your account.

You are advised to contact your Foreign Transfer Manager MR. BRIAN
ROBINSON with his private email details below to avoid unnecessary delay
and complications:

***********************************************
FOREIGN CLAIMS MANAGER
MR. MAXWELL ROBINSON.
GOOGLE VALIDATION OFFICE DEPARTMENT (UK).
E-mail: google_department@yahoo.co.jp
**********************************************

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 winnings and also sharing their identification numbers. As a
result of this, these friends try to claim the lottery on behalf of the
real winners. The google promotion award committee has reached a decision
from the headquarters at the United Kingdom that any double claim
discovered by the Lottery Board will result to the disqualification of the
winners 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
Lottery Board Commission.

Yours Sincerely
DR. MARIA BAKER.
GOOGLE ZONAL CORDINATOR
LONDON,
UNITED KINGDOM.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam