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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) 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:
  • "claims office" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • ",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)
• 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 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.
  • +447045730397 (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.
  • msoft08@freeukisp.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Microsoft Lottery" <mloto5@e-mail.ua>
Reply-To: msoft08@freeukisp.co.uk
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:00:19 +0200
Subject: MICROSOFT MEGA JACKPOT 2008.


MICROSOFT MEGA JACKPOT 2008.
REF NO: MSW/56B-672GH/L
BATCH: 4583JL/WIN
Dr. Andreas Georgetown
Online Co-ordinator
msoft08@freeukisp.co.uk
+447045730397


MICROSOFT EMAIL LOTTERY AWARD PROMOTION: UNITED KINGDOM


Finally today, we announce the winners of the MICROSOFT MEGA JACKPOT LOTTO
WINNINGS PROGRAMS held early this month 2008. Your company or your
personal e-mail address, attached to winning number 23-76-06-54-42-100,
With serial number 647489, consequently won in the Tenth lottery category.


You have been approved for lump sums pay out of 850,000.00 (Eight hundred
and fifty thousand pounds sterlings) in cash Credited to file REF NO:
MSW/56B-672GH/L and winning number 23-76-06-54-42-100. Selection process
was carried out through random selection in our computerized email
selection machine (TOPAZ) from a database of over 1,000,000 email
addresses drawn from all the continents of the world.


The online draws was conducted by a random selection of email addresses
from an exclusive list of 29,031 E-mail addresses of individuals and
corporate bodies picked by an advanced automated random computer search
from the internet. No ticket were sold but all email addresses were
assigned to different ticket numbers for representation and privacy. This
is to encourage our prominent Microsoft Internet Explorer users all over
the world, and for the Continues use of E-mail.


Your fund has been insured with your REF NO: MSW/56B-672GH/L and winning
number 23-76-06-54-42-100. To claim your winning prize, You are to reply
to this letter In order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications,
please remember to quote your reference and winningnumbers in all
correspondences with your claims officer. You are to keep all lotto
information away from the general public especially your ticket number and
ballot number.(This is important as a case of double claims will not be
entertained)


PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU ARE TO SEND THE BELOW INFORMATION REQUIRED TO CLAIM
YOUR WINNING PRIZE: TO THE ONLINE CO-ORDINATOR OF THIS PROGRAM. YOU WILL
FIND HIS DIRECT CONTACT INFORMATION AT THE END OF THIS MESSAGE.


1. Full Name:
..............................................................
2. Address:
.................................................................
3. Nationality:
.............................................................
4. Age: .........................Date of Birth: ..........................
5. Occupation: ............................................................
6. Phone: ...............Phone 2: ...................Fax: no........
7. State of Origin: ......................Country: ..................


Best Regards,


Dr. Andreas Georgetown
Online Co-ordinator
msoft08@freeukisp.co.uk
+447045730397


Secretary
Mrs. Maria C. Bill




LOTTERY SPONSOR
Microsoft Corporation U.K.
2008

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam