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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:
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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.
  • customerserve_primitlotto@latinmail.com
  • logon_ccfinsecurities@caramail.com

Fraud email example:

From: "LOTERIA DE LA PRIMITIVA S.A." <customerserve_primitlotto@latinmail.com> (may be fake)
Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2005 16:29:31 +0200
Subject: contact claims officer for your prize payment.

LOTERIA DE LAPRIMITIVA CORP.
201 AVENIDA DE AMERICA,
MADRID ESPAÑA.
@MAIL: customerserve_primitlotto@latinmail.com

ATTENTION! AWARD WINNING NOTIFFICATION.

Dear Winner,

We are pleased to announce you as one of the 10 lucky winners in the Free Lotto draw held on 8th of JULY. All 10 winning addresses were randomly selected from a batch of 50,000,000 international emails. Your email address emerged alongside 9 others as category 2 winners in this year's Annual Free Lotto Draw. Consequently, you have therefore been approved for a total pay out of €1,320,000 (one million three hundred and twenty thousand euros) only.

The following particulars are attached to your lotto payment order:

1. (I) Winning numbers: 37-13-43-85-67-90
(ii) Email ticket number: FL754/22/76
(iii) Lotto code number: FL09622ES
(iv) The file Ref number: FL/04/736207152/ES

2. Please quote your Reference number in all correspondence with the claims officer.
3. Winners must send their names, address, and telephone number and means of identification (international passport or driver's license numbers) to claim officer to process immediate payment of their prize.
4. Note that winners who are below 18 years are automatically disqualified. Please contact the claims officer on the below name and address.

CASH CHANGE FIRST SECURITIES ESPAÑA.
Contact officer: Mr. Hermann Carlos.
EMAIL: (logon_ccfinsecurities@caramail.com)
(TELEPHONE: #34-695 886 032.) For the immediate release of your winnings prize.

Winners are advised to keep this award confidential until prize are claimed to avert incidence of impersonation by unscrupulous elements. Once again on behalf of all our staff, congratulations.
-------------------------------------------------
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. CONGRATULATIONS!!

Sincerely,

Mrs.Stefanny W.Hoffmann
Promoción Manager,
LOTERIA PRIMITIVA CORP

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam