419 scam: "MICROSOFT DEPARTMENT"<micrsoftdepartment@yahoo.com.hk> microsoft promo service

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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:

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:
- "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
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.
- remittancedepa@yahoo.com.hk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "MICROSOFT DEPARTMENT" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <finacialremittance@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Thu, 5 Aug 2010 16.46.54 +0200
Subject: microsoft promo service

Microsoft Department of Promotion

Microsoft Italy s.p.a.

Dpt 2444 .
via Franchesco 22 milano,
Italy .

Attention: Lucky Winner,

Microsoft congratulate you, being one of the lucky winners of the result of the Annual Microsoft Email Award held on the 1st of Agust 2010 in Italy . Your email address emerged as one of the 10 lucky winners selected electronically by our Electronic lotto Wheel. The total sum of ?2,00000 (Two Million Euro) has been accredited to your email address file number.

Winners were selected randomly from our list of millions of email addresses around Europe, Asia, some parts of South America to promote computer literacy worldwide as well as to advertise our software and computer products. This promotion was sponsored by a conglomerate of software and computer promotion companies like Intel Group, Toshiba, Dell Computers Apple, and other International software and computers manufacturing Companies.
Your email address number in our file was chosen in the European lottery Coupon network whereby your number came up as one of the lucky winners of our prize money, hence, your price money will be remitted to your choice account, in your country through CITIBANK European Branch.

Your winning details are as follows:

Batch No: ITY109766

Email File No:IT1660

Coupon No: IT7U0

Amount Won: 2.00000 (TWO Million Euro)

Contact CITIBANK Italia immediately for verification, processing and transferring of your price money to you in your country. Remember to forward them your winning details for confirmation.
Full Name :

Tel Number:

Age:

Occupation :

Address:

Contact Citibank with the below contact info:
Contact Info:
Foreign Remittance Department
Citibank Italia s.p.a

MILENA NASI

FOR

MARIO BOSCO

TEL: +39-327-620-3280

Fax + 39-06-9668-8890

Address : VIA Franchesco 22 milano Italy

Email :remittancedepa@yahoo.com.hk

On behalf of our CEO Mr. Bill Gates, all the 2010 promotion sponsors, we congratulate you on your winning..
Mrs. Manzanita Faro Prof. Tom Southgate
(Publicity Secretary) (On-line Coordinator)

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam