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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:

• 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:
  • ",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)
  • "vat (5%)" (VAT rate in the UK is 17.5%, check the math)
  • "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!
• Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +447011129142 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • acsltd2007@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Acorn Courier Service Limited <acsltd2007@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2007 19:41:48 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Acorn Courier Service Department


Mr Wolfgang Foerstmann,
You are to Choose from the options the one you know you can afford in deeming your claims and make the payment for the charges and get back to us as soon as possible.
The options, together with their associated conditions are presented below:

Option 1:
Courier your winner cheque to you via any of this channels listed below:
FIRST CLASS

Mailing..............................................£489.00
Insurance..........................................£100. 00
Vat (5%)...........................................£21.95
TOTAL...............................................£610.95

Post office mail
Mailing..............................................£490.00
Insurance..........................................£50.00
Vat (5%)...........................................£19.00
TOTAL...............................................£559.00

Option 2:
The said amount £3,000,000(Three Million pounds sterling),will be wired to your bank account via swift bank transfer.

Condition: The cost of COT (commission of transfer) being charged by our transferring bank, which is 0.3% (i.e £1,326.90) of the cash being transferred will be paid by you.

Note that your prize is protected by a hardcover insurance policy, which makes it impossible to deduct any amount from the money before it has been remitted to you. This means that the above charges cannot be deducted from the prize and hence must be provided by you before your prize is transferred to you.Moreover,you are reqiured to send payment charges via western union money transfer,of what ever option you have chosen to our dispatch agent ,who is incharge of sending you your cheque and winning documents.

Also,you are required to send to us as soon as possible,these few information below:
(1.)The delivery option which you've choosen.
(2.)Your bank details(if you have chosen option 2, bank transfer.)
(3.)Attach a scanned copy of either your driver's licence, international passport (photo page) or any other legally identifying document and send to us for identification purposes.

Having done this,you would be given proper guidelines on how to go about sending the payment to the our courier security affiliate in London.

Below its the information you are to use in sending the payment to us so that your processing can commence with immediate effect.

Do make payment for any of the charges you wish to use in deeming your winnings and make payment through western union money transfer to the accounts department with the below payment information.

First name... Sandra
Last name.... Woods
Address.....360 Clearamont road,
Manchester,England.

The payment information which includes the MTCN number.senders first and last name,amount paid and country should be mailed to us as soon as payment is made so our account will be able to confirm the payment and proceed the claim of your winnings.


Good luck and Congratulations once again. Please send your response to this same email address.
Mr Frank White





ACORN INTERNATIONAL EXPRESS
Email: acsltd2007@yahoo.co.uk
Phone:+44-7011129142
Courier Officer: Mr. Frank White

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam