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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "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 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.
  • +34677698436 (Spain, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • fundoseguridad@netscape.net

Fraud email example:

From: MR.PILAR DA-SILVA <pilardasilva@ozu.es>
Reply-To: fundoseguridad@netscape.net
Date: Sat, 01 Oct 2005 16:14:20 +0200
Subject: EL-COUPONAZO LOTTO PRIZE AWARD


FROM: THE LOTTERY COORDINATOR,
EL-COUPONAZO LOTTO PROGRAMM/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT

DEAR WINNER,
WINNER OF SECOND CATEGORY DRAWS
Congratulations to you as we bring to your notice, the results of the 2nd Category draws of EL-COUPONAZO LOTTO PROGRAMM. We are happy to inform you that you have emerged a winner under the Second Category, which is part of our promotional draws. The draws were held on 25th August 2005 and results are being officially announced today. Participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from 300,000 names/email addresses of individuals and companies from Africa, America, Asia, Australia, Europe, Middle East, and Oceania as part of our International Promotions Program.

You, attached to ticket number 3541-5-486, with serial number 59-22 drew the winning numbers 05 10 17 19 29 42 (21) and consequently won in the second Category.
You have therefore been awarded a lump sum pay out of €845,650.00 (Eight Hundred and Fourty-Five Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty Euros), which is the winning payout for 2nd Category winners. This is from the total prize money of €4,228 250.00 (Four Million Two Hundred and Twenty-Eight Thousand Two Hundred and Fifty Euros)shared among the 5 winners in this category.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Your fund is now deposited with our International Funds Transfer agents FUNDOSEGURIDAD S.A. and has been insured in your name. In your best interest and also to avoid mix up of numbers and names of any kind, we request that you keep the entire details of your award strictly from public notice until the process of transferring your claims has been completed, and your funds remitted to your account.
This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unscrupulous acts by participants/nonparticipants of this program.
We also wish to bring to your notice our end of year premium stakes draw where you stand a chance of winning up to US$50 million that will be shared amongst 12 winners worldwide; we hope that with a part of your prize you will participate.
Please contact your claims agent immediately for due processing and remittance of your prize money to a bank account of your choice:
MR.DAVID VINCENT
FINANCE MANAGER,
FUNDOSGURIDAD S.A.
Avdn.Barajas 18,28042 Madrid,Spain
TEL : +34 677698436,
Email: fundoseguridad@netscape.net
You are advised to contact your agent by email or Telephone within one month of receiving this notice. Failure to do so may warrant immediate disqualification.
NOTE: For easy reference and identification, find below your reference and Batch numbers. Remember to quote these numbers in every one of your correspondence with your claims agent.
REFERENCE NUMBER: REF: ES/616-117/PFS
BATCH NUMBER: R2/A198-9
Congratulations once again from all our staff and thank you for being part of our promotions program.

Sincerely,

Mrs.Pilar Da-Silva
LOTTERY CORDINATOR
N.B: Any breach of confidentiality on the part of the winners will result to disqualification. Please do not reply to this mail. Contact your transfer agent immediately.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam