419 scam: Westdeutsche Lotterie <ruiter@eircom.net> You Have Just Won One Million Euro..

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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

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:

This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "please endeavor to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
- "to your nominated bank account" (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)
- ",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)
- "00,000.00" (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)
- "jamie_ryan99@w.cn" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
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.
- +447024010605 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: Westdeutsche Lotterie <ruiter@eircom.net>
Reply-To: "jamie_ryan99@w.cn" <jamie_ryan99@w.cn>
Date: Sun, 2 May 2010 12:47:42 +0100 (IST)
Subject: You Have Just Won One Million Euro..

Westdeutsche Lotterie GmbH & Co. OHG

Central Office
Management and Central Services:
Rosenstrasse 12-16
DE - 70156 Stuttgart
Germany

Reference Number: WL/GmbH-23/07-OHG
Batch: WL/07- GmbH/9907

Congratulations!!!

We are pleased to inform you of the result of the just concluded annual final draws of the Westdeutsche Lotterie GmbH & Co. OHG Program.

Westdeutsche Lotterie GmbH & Co. OHG draws was conducted from an exclusive list of 25,000,000 e-mail addresses of individual and corporate bodies picked by an advanced automated random computer ballot search from the internet as part of our international promotions program which we conduct every year. No tickets were sold.

After this automated computer ballot, your e-mail address attached to serial number 07-9907 drew the lucky numbers 9-11-25-30-38-46 which consequently emerged you as one of first fifty (50) lucky winners in this category.

You have therefore been approved for a lump sum payout of â‚¬1,000,000.00 (One Million EURO) in cash credited to file WL/GmbH-23/07-OHG. This is from a total cash prize of â‚¬50 Million Euro shared amongst the first fifty (50) lucky winners in this category.

These funds is given to you for your business,educational and personal development, and at least 10% to be used by you to develop part of your enviroment, which is a measure of universal development strategy, and eradication of poverty.

This year Lottery Program Jackpot is the largest ever for Westdeutsche Lotterie GmbH & Co. OHG. The estimated â‚¬50 million jackpot would be the sixth-biggest in Europe history. The biggest was the â‚¬363 million jackpot that went to two winners in a Febuary 2003 drawing of The Big Game Mega Millions' predecessor.

The idea of this lottery program is that within ten years from now, there will be notable richness among many unusual people around the world. This will give many people the opportunity to kick start their lives to a stage where they had always wanted.

Your fund is now deposited in an offshore bank with a hardcover insurance. Due to the mix up of some numbers,names and e-mail addresses, we advice that you keep this award from public notice until your claim has been processed and your money remitted to your nominated bank account as this is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unwarranted taking advantage of this program by the general public.

Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our booklet representative office in London. In view of this, your â‚¬1,000,000.00 (One Million Euro) would be released to you by our affiliate bank in London. Our agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds to you as soon as you make contact with him.

To begin your claim please contact our licensed and accredited agent assigned to you:

Mr.Jamie Ryan
Westdeutsche Lotterie GmbH & Co. OHG
Lotto Payment Release Order Dept:
London Representative Office.
Phone: +44-702-401-0605

E-mail: jamie_ryan99@w.cn

Your claims agent will assist you in the processing and remittance of your prize funds into your designated bank account.

Note that all prize funds must be claimed not later than 3 weeks. After this date all funds will be returned to the LOTTERY TREASURY as unclaimed. In order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please endeavor to quote your Reference Number:WL/GmbH-23/07-OHG and Batch numbers:WL/07- GmbH/9907 in every correspondence with your agent. Furthermore, should there be any change in your address, do inform your claims agent as soon as possible.

Members of the affiliate agencies are automatically not allowed to participate in this program.

Congratulations once again from all members of our staff and thanks for being part of our promotions program.

Yours faithfully,
Mrs.Susi Cristoph
Promotions Manager.
Westdeutsche Lotterie GmbH & Co. OHG.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam