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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:
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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:
  • "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.
  • frontlinesecom@netscape.net (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: MICROSOFT.CORPORATION
Reply-To: frontlinesecom@netscape.net
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 12:29:40 +0200
Subject: YOU WON,CONTACT YOUR AGENT.


FROM THE E-MAIL PROMOTIONS MANAGER
PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT
MICROSOFT WORD CORPORATION, SPAIN.
CALLE SAN MARIA 12, MADRID 28840 SPAIN.
Date: 21st August,2006.

REF NO: MSW-L/200-26937
BATCH NO: 2005MJL-01

ELECTRONIC MAIL AWARD INFORMATION

ATTENTION: PRIZE WINNER.

We are pleased to inform you of the announcement today of the winners of the MICROSOFT WORD E-MAIL MEGAJACKPOT PROGRAMS held on 1st of July 2006.Your Company or your personal e-mail address attached to Entry number 20-01-2005-02MSW, with Catch number S/N-00168 drew the Quick numbers 887-13-865-37-10-83, and consequently won in the first category. You have therefore been approved for a lumpsum payout of FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVE THOUSAND EUROS(EURO455,000.00) in cash credited to File NO: MSW-L/200-26937. This is from total prize money of Ten Million Euros shared among international winners in this category.

All participants were selected through our Microsoft computer ballot system drawn form 21,000 names, 3,000 names from each continent, as part of our International "E-MAIL" Promotions Program, which is conducted once in every four years for our prominent MS WORD users all over the world, and for the continued use of E-mail.

Your fund has been deposited in an escrow account with our affiliate Bank here in Spain , and insured with your File NO: MSW-L/200-26937 and your E-mail address. Please note that, you are to contact us via email as we are promoting the use of E-mail, You have the right to call the bank, as we will provide you with the necessary details on how to claim your Prize.

Y ou are to keep your Reference and Batch numbers from the public, until you have been processed and your money remitted to your account. We hope with your prize, you will be happy to promote the use of E-mail and the use of MS WORD.

To claim your winning prize, you must first contact your claims agents, Frontline Security Company S.L by email for processing and remittance of your prize money to you. Below is their Contact:

Contact Person: James Paco
Email: frontlinesecom@netscape.net

He is to help you in claiming your due prize. Remember, all prize money must be claimed not later than the 10th of September, 2006. All funds not claimed on or before the fixed date will be penalized accordingly. NOTE: In order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please remember to quote your Reference and Batch numbers in all correspondences with your claims agent.

Any winner below the age of 18years is automatically disqualified.

Faithfully,
Mrs. Teresa Lopez.
For MICROSOFT WORD CORPORATION, SPAIN.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam