419 scam: Microsoft Promotion <davidgrayjr@yahoo.com> Congratulations!!!!!!!

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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:
- ",500,000" (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)
- "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
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.
- +447005938585 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
- +447045718889 (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.
- claimdeptcitibank@gmail.com (Gmail/GoogleMail; can be used from anywhere worldwide)

Fraud email example:

From: Microsoft Promotion <davidgrayjr@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: claimdeptcitibank@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:14:18 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Congratulations!!!!!!!

Microsoft Department of Promotion
212 Garden Close, Stamford,
Lincs,PE9 2YP,London
United Kingdom.

Attention: Lucky Winner,

We congratulate you, being one of the lucky winners of the result of the Annual Microsoft Email Award held on the 5th of June 2010 in London. Your email address emerged as one of the 10 lucky winners selected electronically by our Electronic lotto Wheel. The total sum of Â£2,500,000 (Two Million Five hundred thousand British Pounds) has been accredited to your email address file number.

Winners were selected randomly from our list of millions of email addresses around Europe, Asia, and South America to promote computer literacy worldwide as well as to advertise our software and computer products. This promotion was sponsored by a conglomerate of software and computer promotion companies like Intel Group, Toshiba, Dell Computers Apple, and other International software and computers manufacturing Companies.

Your email address number in our file was chosen in the European lottery Coupon network whereby your number came up as one of the lucky winners of our prize money, hence, your price money will be remitted to your choice account, in your country through CITIBANK European Branch.

Your winning details are as follows:
Batch No: 00199709
Email File No:22227x1
Coupon No: ITR3339x1
Amount Won: â‚¬2.500,000 (Two Million Five Hundred Thounsand British Pounds)
Full Name :
address :
Phone Number
Age :
Occupation:

Contact CITIBANK London immediately for verification, processing and transferring of your price money to you in your country. Remember to forward them your winning details for confirmation. Contact Citibank with the below contact info:
Contact Info:

Foreign Remittance Department
Citibank Plc London, United Kingdom.
Contact person: Mark Wallace.
Address : Promenade Level, Cabot Place East,
Canary Wharf, London, E14 4QS
Tel: + 44 - 704 571 8889
Fax:+ 44 - 700 593 8585
Email : claimdeptcitibank@gmail.com

On behalf of our CEO Mr. Bill Gates, all the 2010 promotion sponsors, we congratulate you on your winning..

Cordially,

Mrs. Elisabeth Tylor.
(On-line Co-ordinator)

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam