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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:

• 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.
  • frankdavies@sify.com

Fraud email example:

From: MRS.R.A DUBE <interlotprograms@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 03:25:45 +0200
Subject: ++CONGRATULATIONS++


OVERSEAS STAKES LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
OFFICE: 8-10 FREE TOWN AVE,
PLOT: 328 REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA.
REF NUMBER; OSL/653/029/05
BATCH NUMBER; AT-040-SB06-05
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Dear Sir/ Madam,
We are pleased to inform you that as a result of our recent lottery draw held earlier today. Your email address attached to ticket number 27522465896-532 with serial number 652-662 drew lucky number 7-1-18-23-31-46 which consequently won 2nd category.
You have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of US$1,200,000.00 Equivalents (ONE MILLION TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND UNTIED STATE DOLLAR ONLY).
Note:
ALL participants in this lottery program have been selected randomly through a computer ballot system drawn from over 20,000 companies and 30,000,000 individual email addresses from all search engines and web sites.
This promotional program takes place every year, and is promoted and sponsored by eminent personalities like the sultan of Brunei, Bill Gates Of Microsoft Inc, Multi Choice and other corporate organizations. This is to encourage the use of the internet and computers worldwide.
For security purpose and clarity, we advise that you keep your winning information's confidential until your claims have been processed and your money remitted to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claims and unwarranted abuse of this program by some participants.
We look forward to your active participant in our next year USD50 Million slot.
You are requested to contact our clearance officer below to assist you with your winning and subsequent payments. All winning must be claim not later than two weeks after the computer date of this notice.
Please note, in order to avoid unnecessary delay and complications remember to quote your reference number and batch numbers in all correspondence.
Furthermore, should there be any change of addresses do inform our agent as soon as possible.
Congratulations once more and thank you for being part of our promotional program.
Email address: frankdavies@sify.com
Contact person: MR.FRANK DAVIES.
Tel: 27-83-968-0894
Sincerely yours,
MRS. R.A DUBE
Lottery Director.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam