419 scam: "Mr. Tan Hock Soon"<job@update.com> RE: PLEASE CLARIFY

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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:
- "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
- "million 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)
- "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)
- "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)
- "dr.antoniojackson@outlook.com" (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!
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.
- +448726148533 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Tan Hock Soon" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mr.tanhocksoon@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2015 01:36:26 +0800
Subject: RE: PLEASE CLARIFY

LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY ORGANIZATION.
138 TOTTENHAM ROAD 6EQD LONDON, ENGLAND
FROM: THE DESK OF THE DIRECTOR OF PROMOTION
INTERNATIONAL/PRIZE AWARD DEPT.
REF: U.T./941OYI/02
BATCH: 12/25/DC34
Date: 27-05-2015:

WINNING NOTIFICATION:

We are obliged to announce to you the draw/result of Liverpool International Lottery Organization programs held on the 15th of January 2015 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 564 75600545 288 with Serial number 5388/02 drew the lucky numbers: 31-6-26-13-35-7, which subsequently won you the lottery in the 3rd of May 2015 category. Therefore approved in your favor the lump sum payout of US$500,000.00 (Five hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in cash credited to file PC/9080118308/02. This is from a total cash prize of US $ 25 Million dollars, shared amongst the first Fifty (50) lucky winners in this category.

Please note that your lucky winning number falls within London UK as indicated in your play coupon. In view of this, your US$500,000.00 (Five hundred Thousand United States Dollars) will be released to you via our Accredited Payment Vault UK. They will expeditiously carryout the release of your winning funds as soon as you contact the appropriate authority through the contact info provided here below. All participants were selected randomly from World Wide Website through computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000 companies round the globe, this promotion takes place annually.

For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential till your claims is processed and your winning funds is remitted to you in whatever manner you deem fit to claim your prize. This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by some unscrupulous elements. To file for your claim, please contact our fiduciary agent:

Dr. Antonio Jackson (Human Resources Administrator)
Direct Agent Mobile: Tel: +44 872 614 8533
Email: Dr.AntonioJackson@outlook.com

To avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please quote your reference/batch numbers in any correspondences with us or our designated agent.

Congratulations once more from all members and staffs of this program. Thank you for being part of our promotional lottery program.

Sincerely,
Mr. Tan Hock Soon
DIRECTOR OF PROMOTION.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam