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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: "Satya Nadella" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <infobriandyts@163.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2016 22:52:22 +0400
Subject: Congratulations!REFERENCE NUMBER: MSFT/5975/107/2016 h

MICROSOFT® CORPORATION
Cardinal Place
80-100 Victoria Street
London,SW1E 5JL
United Kingdom
Winning No: MSFT/5975/107/2016
Ticket No: MSFT/3081/039/2016
MICROSOFT YEARLY ANNIVERSARY WINNING NOTIFICATION
We wish to congratulate you on this note, for being part of our selected winners in our just concluded internal promotion draw this year, this promotion was set-up to encourage the active users of Microsoft products and its software services.
Hence we do believe with your winning prize, you will continue to be an active patronage to Microsoft products and its software services. Microsoft Corporation develops and markets software, services and hardware that deliver new opportunities, greater convenience and enhanced value to people's lives. We ran an online e-mail beta draw which your email address won Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand Great British Pounds Sterling (?950,000.00). 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 check will be issued in your name by Microsoft Promotion Award; for the sum of Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand Great British Pounds Sterling (?950,000.00) and also a certificate of prize claims will be sent alongside your winning check cashable at any bank.
You are advised to contact the assigned Microsoft Program Administrator/Coordinator with the following details to avoid unnecessary delay and complications:
VERIFICATION AND FUNDS RELEASE FORM
(1) Your Contact Address/Private Email Address:
(2) Your Tel/Fax Numbers:
(3) Your Nationality/Country:
(4) Your Full Name:
(5) Occupation/Company:
(6) Age/Gender:
(7) Ever Won An Online Lottery?
(8) Comments about Microsoft:
Philippa Snare
Chief Marketing Officer, Microsoft UK
E-mail: infobriandyts@163.com
Email:mteamcardprize@msn.com
Fax No: +447012990392
Microsoft values your right to privacy! Your information is 100% secured and will be used exclusively for the purpose of this award only.
The Microsoft 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 Microsoft Promotion Award Team has reached a decision from its headquarters that any double claim discovered by the Lottery Board will result to the canceling of that particular winning, leading to 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 Microsoft interactive Lotteries Board Commission.
 
Yours faithfully,
Satya Nadella
CEO of Microsoft Corporation.

Anti-fraud resources: