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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
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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:

• 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.
  • robertcolumbus22@netscape.net

Fraud email example:

From: tracy chapman <freelotto123@netscape.net>
Reply-To: robertcolumbus22@netscape.net
Date: Tue, 04 Oct 2005 14:34:17 +0200
Subject: FREE LOTTO_CUSTOMER CARE UNIT


THE FREE LOTTO COMPANY
UK HEAD OFFICE
SUITE 23-30, LION TOWERS
CENTRAL LONDON
ENGLAND
www.freelotto.com

Dear Winner,
We are please to announce you as one of the 10 lucky winners in the Free
Lotto draw held on the 2nd of october. All 10 winning addresses were
randomly selected from a batch of 50,000,000 international Emails. Your
email address emerged alongside 9 others as a category 2 winner in this
year's Annual Free Lotto Draw. Consequently, you have therefore been
approved for a total pay out of 1,000,000 pounds (one million pounds) only.
The following particulars are attached to yourlotto payment order:

(i) Winning numbers: 37-13-43-85-67-11
(ii) Email ticket number: FL754/22/76
(iii) Lotto code number: FL09622UK
(iv) The file Ref number: FL/04/736207152/UK
Please contact the under listed claims officer as soon as possible for the
immediate release of your winnings:

Mr. Robert Columbus
Chief financial Director
The Free lotto Company
Email : robertcolumbus22@netscape.net

N.B: Steps to claiming your prize;
1. Please quote your Reference number in all correspondence with the claims
officer.
2. Winners should send to claim officer account detail or address Where they
want their prize paid or sent.
3. Winners must send their names, address, telephone number and means of
identification (international passport or drivers license) to claim officer
to process immediate payment of their prize.Once again on behalf of all our
staff,

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Sincerely,
Mrs.Tracy Chapman
Promotions Manager
The Lotto Company
UK & Europe.
-------------------------------------------------
The Free Lotto Awards is proudly sponsored by the Microsoft Corporation, the
Intel Group, Toshiba, Dell computers,Mackintosh and a conglomeration of
other international IT companies. The free lotto internet draw is held once
in a year and is so organized to encourage the use of the internet and
computers worldwide. We are proud to say that over 200 Million Euros are won
annually in more than 150 countries worldwide.
-------------------------------------------------
We also encourage you to visit our website at www.freelotto.com and take
your chance to play and become part of our daily winners. Millions are won
on a daily basis on one of the world's most famous free lotto service

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam