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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "fiduciary 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.
  • luckylotto003@hotmail.com

Fraud email example:

From: "national lottery" <national_uk3_lotto@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: luckylotto003@hotmail.com
Date: Sun, 02 Oct 2005 01:25:04 +0000
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS

 

 

The Marina Offices,

St Peters Yacht Basin,

Newcastle upon Tyne,

NE6 1HX

England

 

(Customer Services)

Ref: UK/9420X2/68

Batch: 074/05/ZY369

 

                               WINNING NOTIFICATION

 

We happily announce to you the draw (#974) of the UK NATIONAL LOTTERY,online Sweepstakes International program held on wenesday 28th of september, 2005. It is yet to be unclaimed and you are getting the final NOTIFICATION as regards this.

Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 56475600545 188 with Serial number 5368/02 drew the lucky numbers: 3, 18, 25,29, 31, 43(bonus ball 23), which subsequently won you the lottery in the 2nd category i.e match 6 plus bonus.

You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of £984,008 (Six hundred and Eighty-four thousand and Eight pounds sterling) in cash credited to file KTU/9023118308/03.

This is from a total cash prize shared amongst the(7)lucky winners in this category i.e Match 6 plus bonus.  All participants for the online version were selected randomly from World Wide Web sites through computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000 unions, associations, and corporate bodies that are listed online. This promotion takes place weekly.

Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our European booklet representative office in Europe as indicated in your play coupon. In view of this, your  £984,008 (nine hundred and Eighty-four thousand and Eight pounds sterling) will be released to you by any of our payment offices in Europe.

Our European agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds as soon as you contact her.For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential till your claim is processed and your money remitted to you in whatever manner you deem fit to claim your prize.

This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program. Please be warned.

To file for your claim, please contact our fiduciary agent:

 

Name: Peter Andrews

Official Email: luckylotto003@hotmail.com

Endeavour to email him your full names,winning numbers,email address,telephone and fax numbers immediately.

Congratulations from me and members of staff of THE NATIONAL LOTTERY.

 

Yours faithfully,

Thomas barnes

Online coordinator for UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

Sweepstakes International Program.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam