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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
• 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.
  • executiveplanete@netscape.net (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: PROMOTION <microsoft@microsoft.co.nl>
Reply-To: executiveplanete@netscape.net
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 19:18:29 +0200
Subject: CONGRATULATION!!! YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS HAS WON A PROMOTION


MICROSOFT EMAIL PROMOTION INTERNATIONAL
FROM:INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION/PRIZE AWARD.
PROMOTING INTERNET USAGE OVER THE GLOBE
(MICROSOFT ENCOURAGE GLOBALIZATION)

FROM: THE PROMOTION COORDINATOR,
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT
Microsoft B.V. Boeing Avenue 44.

RESULTS FOR CATEGORY "A" DRAWS
Congratulations to you as we bring to your notice,the results of the First Category draws of MICROSOFT PROMOTION INT. We are happy to inform you that you have emerged a winner under the First Category, which is part of our promotional draws. The draws are being officially announced today 24th of April 2006. Participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from 2,500,000 email addresses of individuals and companies from Africa, America, Asia,Australia,Europe, Middle East, and Oceania as part of our International Promotions Program.

Your e-mail address, attached to ticket number 33738862961-555, with serial number 9944-06 drew the lucky numbers 5-3-77-32-32-32 and consequently won in the First Category.
You have therefore been awarded a lump sum pay out of 1,000,000 (One Million Euros), which is the winning payout for Category A winners.
This is from the total prize money from 1,500,000 shared among the 2 winners in this category CONGRATULATIONS!
Your fund is now deposited with the paying Bank.
In your best interest to aviod mix up of numbers and names of any kind, we request that you keep the entire details of your award strictly from public notice until the process of transferring your claims has been completed, and your funds remitted to your account.
This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unscrupulous acts by participants/nonparticipants of this program.
Please contact your claims agent immediately for due processing and remittance of your prize money to a designated account of your choice:
To file for your claim,please contact the claim dept.
***********************************************
Mr. Peter van Holf,
Address: P.O. Box 2021 3500GA Utrecht Netherlands.
Tel.: +31-202-223-226.
Email : executiveplanete@netscape.net
***********************************************

You are advised to contact the agents by email.
Failure to do so may warrant disqualification.
NOTE: For easy reference and identification, find below your Reference
and Batch numbers. Remember to quote these numbers in your
correspondence with your claims agent.

REFERENCE NUMBER: MUNOD/5020/9922/06
BATCH NUMBER: 18/044/PNL

Congratulations once again and we hope you will participate in our end of year program.

N.B: Any breach of confidentiality on the part of the winners will
result to disqualification.Contact your fiduciary agent immediately.

Sincerely Yours,
MRS.HANA VOSSESTEIN.
THE PROMOTION COORDINATOR,
MICROSOFT NL.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam