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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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.

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:

• The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "diplomatic delivery"
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "money laundering" ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "your urgent reply" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
  • "vat (5%)" (VAT rate in the UK is 17.5%, check the math)
  • "diplomatic delivery" ("diplomats" who perform deliveries of cash or other valuables to you only exist in 419 scams)
  • "affidavit " (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "courier service" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "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!

Fraud email example:

From: "INTERLINK COURIER SERVICE" <interlinkcourierservicedept@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 04:36:53 -0800
Subject: RE:MODE OF DELIVERY OF YOUR WINNING CHEQUE


* INTER-LINK COURIER SERVICE*
* (GLOBAL DIPLOMATIC DELIVERY)
*
* Unit 11, Ashford Industrial Estate,
Shield Road, Ashford, Middx,
TW15 1AU, london.
United Kingdom **
*
* * **
**
**
* *
**
**
*ATTN:Lorna Duncan,*
*

You are welcome to Inter-Link Courier Service an affiliate of the UNITED
KINGDOM NATIONAL LOTTERY. We are pleased to be at your service. Inter-Link
Courier Service is Regulated and Stipulated by the Finacial Service
Authority(FSA).,the finacial institutions that Govern all Finacial
activities in the United Kingdom.

This office has been Notified by the UNITED KINGDOM NATIONAL LOTTERY of the
amount won with their National lottery in the amount of 1,000,000pounds This
means that you have been officially cleared for payment by the Verifications
Dept at the headquarters of the UNITED KINGDOM NATIONAL LOTTERY.

The 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 UNITED KINGDOM NATIONAL LOTTERY will be sent to you as soon as
you meet with any of the option selected.

You can now begin the final step of the claims process, which is the
transferring of your cash prize to you. With regards to this, there
are three options open to you, you are required to select the most
convenient of the three.

The options, together with their associated charges are presented below:

Courier of your winning draft to you via any of this listed below:

Inter-Link/ POST (3 working days)
Mailing £450.00 $880.11 Insurance £100.00 $195.58 Vat (5%) £0.75 $1.47
TOTAL £550.75 $1,077.16


Inter-Link/ POST (2 working days)
Mailing £550.00 $1,075.47 Insurance £100.00 $195.58 Vat (5%) £0.75 $1.47
TOTAL £650.75 $1,272.48


Inter-Link/ POST (24 hour same day)
Mailing £650.00 $1,272.48 Insurance £100.00 $195.58 Vat (5%) £0.75 $1.47
TOTAL £750.75 $1,468.02

*
**
*Direct Bank Transfer Option*: This is the Direct Bank Transfer that will
enable you receive the sum of 1,000,000pounds in any account that you will
provide for this to us to effect the transfer as it is always done
electronically as it will TAKE 3 WORKING DAYS to Reflect In The account that
you will provide. Also you will be charged by our transferring bank, which
is ( *1,000 GBP*) of the cash being transferred will be paid by you before
your winning funds can be transfered to your bank account.

Note:The charges cannot be Deducted from your winnings.This is in accordance
with section 13(1)(n) of the National Gambling Act as adopted in 1993 and
amended on 3RD July 1996 by the constitutional assembly.This is to protect
winners and to avoid misappropriation of funds and win Situaitions. So this
charges will be provided by you before your winning cheque will be sent to
you.

Please respond to this email by making a selection from the two options
above. Also attach a scanned copy of either your driver's licence,
international passport (photo page) or any other legally identifying
document.

Send your response to indicate your option within the next 24hrs,because you
only have 7 working days to claim this cheque and after this period, your
cash prize will be deemed to have been forfeited by you and will be reused
in the drawings of the next edition of the lottery.

Once again, Congratulations

Your urgent reply will be most welcome
* * * Mr. Brian Cox,*
*Customer Services *
* Inter-Link Courier Service*


On 6/19/07, Josh goland
<luckieg420@sbcglobal.net<http://us.f621.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=luckieg420@sbcglobal.net>>
wrote:
>

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam