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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "cost of mailing your draft" (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. )
  • "money transfer control number" (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. )
  • "payment for the courier" (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. )
  • "you are advice to " (this email uses bad English)
  • "vat (5%)" (VAT rate in the UK is 17.5%, check the math)
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
• 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.
  • +447045719388 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: Patrice Williams <info@gxexpresscourierservice.com>
Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 21:45:32 +0000
Subject: RE: UK national lottery award







GX GUARANTEED EXPRESS SERVICE® RISK FREE



REG ORDER NO: UK5368
25th August, 2007

Dear Customer (PHILLIP A. PAYOYO)
We received a parcel from YAHOO MAIL ONLINE LOTTERY, asking us to deliver it to
PHILLIP A. PAYOYO) to be delivered to you.

You are advice to send scan copy of any form of identification along with the shipment fees before your lottery prize winnings will be delivered to you.

Your parcel will be couriered to you immediately as soon as you meet with any of the options below. With regards to this, there are four options open to you, you are required to select the most convenient of the four so we can delivery the parcel to your address as stated above.

The options, together with their associated conditions are presented below:



SAME DAY DELIVERY DELIVERY )





Mailing
£175.00
00.00

Insurance
£550.00
00.00

Vat (5%)
£525.00
00.00

TOTAL
£1250.75
00.00
£1,250.75 = $2,178.48 USD


Options:
next day delivery(2days)




Mailing
£175.00
00.00

Insurance
£550.00
00.00

Vat (5%)
£176.75
00.00

TOTAL
£901.75
00.00
£901.75 = $1,570.61 USD


THREE DAY DELIVERY (3 working days)




Mailing
£180.00
00.00

Insurance
£550.00
00.00

Vat (5%)
£168.95
00.00

TOTAL
£898.75
00.00
£898.75 = $1,565.57 USD





FIVE DAYS DELIVERY (5 working days)




Mailing
£178.00
00.00

Insurance
£550.00
00.00

Vat (5%)
£168.00
00.00

TOTAL
£866.00
00.00
£866.00 = $1,508.70 USD The Insurance Company declined reverse payment for the courier, stating that it is against their professional policy towards ensuring the safe delivery of the parcel to you. That if a reverse payment is made, and something goes wrong, that we/you cannot sue the courier company or Insurance Company to recover the full value of the parcel since payment for insurance cover was not made at point of mailing. With the above reason, reverse payment is ruled out. Forward the cost of mailing your draft with any of the courier channel cost you choose above to us.
For speed and convenience, do make all payments for your delivery via Western Union Money Transfer Agent in your location made payable in care-of our Dispatch Delivery Officer of name MRS ALICE WARMER as shown below:
MRS ALICE WARMER
Accounts Department
658 Ajax Avenue Slough Berkshire SL1 4BG
United Kingdom After Payments must have been made by you, you will then proceed to send us the following information's below as regards the transfer as well as a scanned copy of the transfer slip from Western Union Money Transfer: After you scanning and Attaching the payment slip notify the account department immediately for response and delivery of your parcel (+44) 7045719388 1) Senders First Name. 2) Senders Last Name. 3) Sender Address. 4) M.T.C.N ( Money Transfer Control Numbers ). We hope you are able to send the funds for your delivery as soon as possible because your parcel is here in my office ready for onward delivery to you. As soon as you forward the payment receipt to this office for confirmation we will give you a tracking number to enable you track your parcel with this office.

Please you are advise that upon payment, ensure to send to this office the transfer slip and every other detail's which you have use in sending the funds via E-MAIL ATTACHMENT for immediate confirmation.
Note: Do endeavor to make the payment for your delivery charge's as soon as you receive this mail and send scan copy of your identification.

Please send your response within the next 24hrs as we remain obliged to be of service to you.

Jennifer Blakeney
Dispatch Officer.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam