419 scam: "Gibson Atkinson"<gibson_akinson@yahoo.com> CONGRATULATIONS WINNER

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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:

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)
- "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)
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: "Gibson Atkinson" (may be fake)
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 03:13:50 +0300
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS WINNER

PUBLISHERS CLEARING HOUSE INC.

REF NUMBER: USL1400NYQ SEPTEMBER 24th,2014
BATCH NUMBER: 00019854/1400
WINNING NUMBER: CN8856/ZX195
CONGRATULATIONS WINNER

We are happy to announce the results of our draw (#1400) from PUBLISHERS CLEARING
HOUSE held on SEPTEMBER 1,2014. Your name and address is attached to the ticket number #AZ416228/11. You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of $2,500,000.00 (Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars) in cash, credited to reference number #USL 1400NYQ. This is from a total prize of $9,750,000.00 to share amongst the first three lucky winners of this program; we conduct a semi-annual lotto in which we draw three grand prize winners as our promotions to North American citizens. The lottery is promoted and sponsored by Travis International, Visa Card, Master Card and Amex as a social responsibility to the citizens of North America.

All participants were selected through a balloting system which has been drawn from ninety thousand stores from Canada and the United States; upon using your credit card(s) and debit card(s) at various stores, your name is automatically entered into the draw. Please contact the Publishers Clearing House Office located at Port Washington, NY; and speak to your Agent who will advise you on how to claim your prize through THEGLOBAL TRUST FUNDS. This prize will be released to you by your agent
(MR, GIBSON ATKINSON), at, 1-516-515-7941 or (MR DAVID MARK) at 1-855-716-8006

NOTE: Your account will be processed and must leave our office within 5 business days of opening your file. Please contact your agent for instructions on how to claim your prize. Be prepared to verify identity and take legal steps in securing the release of your winnings. Be advised to keep this award from public notice until your claim is processed and money is remitted into your account of your choice, as this is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unwarranted abuse of these programs by participants. Congratulations and thank you for being part of our program. All funds must be claimed otherwise all funds will be returned as unclaimed and will be donated to charity.

Congratulations once again!

Sincerely,

ANDREW GOLDBERG, CEO, Publishers Clearing House Inc.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam