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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:
  • "microsoft lottery" (no such lottery exists)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "anti-drug certificate" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. )
  • "processing fee" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. )
  • "affidavit " (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "barr." (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "chambers" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "high court" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "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: Garden Court Chambers United Kingdom <gardencourtuk@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 13:45:24 +0100 (BST)
Subject: {Disarmed} Re:Update On Yahoo/Microsoft {Order FL/668530092 }



Inline
Attention:Albertina Hirschder,


I am in receipt of your email and it was well understood.

Be informed that as a winner of the Yahoo/Microsoft Email lottery it is your sole responsibility to provide the required sum needed to draft your certificate of affidavit and thereby notarize your winning at the British High Court Probate The notarization of your winning is in line with the directives of the financial regulatory authority. I opine you are well informed of the September 11th attack on the USA and the subsequent terrorist attacks in Spain and here in the United kingdom, government authorities have adopted a stringent and meticulous protocol towards monitoring the cash flow in and out of their various countries hence the decision was reached that all winnings be first notarized by ensuring that winners aquire thier certificate of affidavit to ascertain that these funds are not deployed for terrorism/drug peddling.
Be informed that all other expenditures including taxes levied on your winning sum and
European bank costs are to be handled by the organisers.

The notarization of your winning at the high court probate is in line with all customary laws guiding the transfer of large sums of money from one country to the other, it shows that your winning has been approved as viable by the authorities of the UNITED KINGDOM and can subsequently be transferred to you by the method opted by you in your funds release order form. You have been asked to pay this sum for the drafting of your certificate of affidavit upon your name so you can be issued an anti-terrorism and anti-drug certificate to indicate to the authorities that these funds are legal and not deployed for terrorism or drug peddling. The procurment of your certificate of affidavit is a consentaneous decision that has been upheld by the verification committee in accordance with the world wide transfer of large sums of money.

Please do note that we have instruction from the Yahoo/Microsoft verifications committee to transfer your winnings to you exactly as it was won and furthermore to that, your winning was endorsed as a certifiable bank cheque which makes it totally impossible for us to deduct from it.

Do not think you are doing anyone a favour by transferring the required sum for the drafting of the certificate of affidavit upon your winnings as the amount will be used for the settlement of the necessary fees at the court house of the High Court
Probate, and that is why I have instructed you to transfer the sum directly to the chambers senior clerk who is responsible for receiving affidavit processing charges .I am taking time to explain to you the reason for the notarization of your winnings and why you are responsible for the affidavit processing fee, as you do not expect The Organisers of the Yahoo/Microsoft Lottery Board that has offered such a huge amount of funds to still be responsible for the notarization of your winnings,as that would be ridiculous.

Although, in essence if you decline to claim your winning as stipulated by the organizers of Yahoo/Microsoft verifications committee you will be required to send us a disclaimer letter to that note, relinquishing your winning and empowering us with the right to return your payment file to the organizers of Yahoo/Microsoft Email lottery International. Please inform me of your decision immediately as I need to update your winning file.

I hope this email is perfectly understood by you.YoU are to note that as soon as we receive the payment for your affidavit processing fee, your affidavit documents will be processed and your winning sum will be transfered to you in your bank account within the next 3 working days. Finally please you are not suppose to disclose your winning information to anyone until you received your winnings as part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and eradicate the unwarranted abuse of this programme as we have had most cases like that in the past. Please be warned!

Thank you for your time, co-operation and understanding and we look forward to a wonderful working relationship between us and yourself.

Regards.


Barr.Gregory Newton.
Senior Legal Advicer.
















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