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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• 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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
• Support our efforts to stop scams!
  
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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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:
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "dear beneficiary," (this SPAM email was sent to thousands of people)
• 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.
  • winnings@gmail.com

Fraud email example:

From: "Susan Campbell" <autoemaillotto@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 07 Oct 2005 23:38:33 +0000
Subject: 2005 AWARD WINNING NOTIFICATION.


AUTOMATED EMAIL LOTTERY PROGRAM
WATFORD,
UNITED KINGDOM.


REFERENCE NUMBER: ALP/653/029/05
BATCH NUMBER: AT-040-SB06-03


Dear Beneficiary,

We are pleased to announce the results of the draws of the Automated Email
Lottery Program held on the 1st October,2005 in Watford,United Kingdom.Your
email address attached to Serial Number 2-562-765 drew the lucky numbers
9-14-8-10-3-12 which consequently won in the 2nd Category.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

You have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of US$1,000,000(One
Million United States Dollars.) All participants for this year's program
were selected randomly through a computer ballot system drawn from
15,000,000 email addresses from search engines and websites spanning across
Australia,New Zealand, America,Europe, North America, Africa and Asia.This
Promotional Lottery Program is conducted annually to create the awareness
and encourage the use of computers and the internet worldwide.This program
is being promoted and sponsored by some eminent personalities like Bill
Gates of Microsoft Incooperation,Micheal Dell of Dell Computers,the Sultan
of Brunei and a host of some philantropic organisations.

To file your claim, please contact your Claims Agent:

Name: Mr.Jim Wang
Email: lottery.winnings@gmail.com


Due to regulations and privacy policy, we ask that you keep your winning
information confidential until you complete the process of filing for your
claim. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and
impersonation. Remember, all prize monies MUST be claimed not later than
30th November,2005. After this date, all prize monies will be returned as
unclaimed. You are thereby encouraged to file your claim without any delays.


NOTE: In order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please
remember to quote your reference and batch numbers in all of your
correspondences with your claim agent.Winners below 18 years of age are
automatically disqualified from processing their claims.

Furthermore,should there be any change of your address, do inform your
claims agent as soon as possible.

Congratulations once again on behalf of our sponsors and staffs of the
program.

Sincerely,

Susan Campbell

Program Director,
Automated Email Lottery Program.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam