13 December 2005 – The Department of Foreign Affairs reiterated its advise to the public on the modus operandi of the “Advance Fee Fraud Scam”, a scam that requires the payment of an advance fee before the supposed release of a substantial amount of money.   This modus operandi is also known as the "419 Scam "as the fraud is outlined in Section 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code.

In his report to the Department, Philippine Ambassador to The Hague Romeo A. Arguelles said the latest version of this financial crime is the "Lottery Scam" from lottery companies supposedly based in the Netherlands (Amsterdam or The Hague, with the former location being more popular).  Ambassador Arguelles warns that the modus operandi operate as follows:

    Step 1: They send you an email announcing that you are the lucky winner of a fantastic lottery win.

    Step 2: If you respond, they typically send you an application form to fill in.

    Step 3: Either they want you to give them the number of your bank account, ostensibly to remit your win, or you are required to pay a sizable sum of money (four till six     thousand Euros) to cover security, insurance, etc. costs.

    Step 4: If you demand guarantees first, they send you an official-looking document.

    Step 5: Once you've sent them the money, or they have helped themselves to your bank account, you won't hear much of them any more.

    Step 6: You won't see anything again of the money they got from you, least of all the lottery win they lured you with at the start.

The DFA  advises the public that, if you have not bought any lottery ticket,  to disregard such e-mails; do not send them any money; do not disclose your bank connections; and avoid calling them on the phone.

The background and detailed information on the lottery scam and other related scams may be accessed from http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/-wm-lotto.html. END