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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "euromillones loteria international" (no such lottery exists)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
• 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 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.
  • macastro_fidelity@yahoo.es (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: EUROMILLONES LOTERIA <euromillo@yahoo.es>
Reply-To: macastro_fidelity@yahoo.es
Date: Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:28:12 +0100
Subject: 05 / 02 /08


Euromillones loteria international
C/ROMERO NO 12
28204 MADRID,
SPAIN.

5 FEBRUARY 2008
FROM: THE DESK OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPT
REFRENCE NUMBER: LDN/99415803/08
BATCH NUMBER: 08/1332/00
ATTN: LUCKY WINNER
RE: AWARD NOTIFICATION, FINAL NOTICE.
We are pleased to inform you the release OF todays results of the
EUROMILLIONES LOTERIA INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION PROGRAM held on the 1 =
FEBRUARY 2008.
Your email address was attached to the ticket number 025 - 11464992 -
750 with serial number 2113 - 05 drew the lucky numbers 13 - 15 - 22 -
37 - 39 - 45 which consequently won the lottery in the 3rd category.
You have therefore been approved for a lump sum payout of EUR615,810.00 (SIX =
HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED AND TEN EUROS) in cash credited =
to file REFRENCE NUMBER: LDN/99415803/08.This from a total cash prize of =
EUR10,468,77,00 (TEN MILLION, FOUR HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT THOUSAND, AND =
SEVENTY SEVEN EUROS) shared among the seventeen international winners in this =
category.
CONGRATULATIONS! .
Your fund is now deposited with a security company insured in your
email address. Due to mixed up of some numbers and email addresses, we ask =
that you keep this award from public notice until your claim has been =
processed and your money remitted to your nominated account, as this is a =
part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unwarranted taking =
advantage of this program by participants. All participants were selected =
through a computer ballot system drawn from 55,000 email addresses from =
Asia, Europe, Australia ,Africa, North and South America as part of our =
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION PROGRAM , which we conduct once every year.
To begin your claim, please contact your claims agent, MRS MARIA CASTRO =
Foreign Operations Manager, FIDELITY SECURITY COMPANY S.A. on Tell: 00 34 605 =
714 449 , Fax: 00 34 912 919 579 and email (macastro_fidelity@yahoo.es) for =
processing and remittance of your prize money to a designated account of your =
choice. Remember, all prize money must be claimed not later than 29 FEBRUARY =
2008. After this date all funds will be returned to the MINISTERIO DE =
ECONOMIA Y HACIENDA as unclaimed. And also be informed that 10% of your =
lottery wining belongs to FIDELITY SECURITY COMPANY S.A., because they are =
your claims agent. This 10% will be remitted after you have received your =
winning fund into your acccount, because the fund is insured in your name =
already.
NOTE: In order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please
remember to quote your reference and batch numbers in every of your
correspondence with us or your agent Furthermore, should there be any
change of your address, do inform your claims agent as soon as possible. =
Congratulations again from all members of our staff and thank you for being a =
part of our INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION PROGRAM.
Sincerely,
JOSE SENNA
VICE PRESIDENT
=

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam