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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "fiduciary 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.
  • +447040114930 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • claimsagent_uk_lot@yahoo.co.uk

Fraud email example:

From: "CONGRATULATIONS!!! BRITISH LOTTERY" <british_lotterywinnings@msn.com>
Reply-To: british_lotteryaward@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 23:00:25 +0000
Subject: NOTIFICATION!

The National Lottery
P O Box 1010
Liverpool, L70 1NL
UNITED KINGDOM
(Customer Services)
Ref: UK/9420X2/68
Batch: 074/05/ZY369
Fax:448701312413
    448701305815
Tel:+447040114930
     +447031845467

           WINNING NOTIFICATION:

We happily announce to you the draw (#994) of the UK NATIONAL LOTTERY,online Sweepstakes International program held on saturday Jul 2nd 2005.

Your e-mail address attached to ticket number:25445800673189 with Serial number 3678/03 drew the lucky numbers: 08-25-33-35-40-07(bonus no.),
which subsequently won you the lottery in the 2nd category i.e match 5 plus bonus.

You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of £147,516(One Hundred and fourthy Seven thousand five Hundred and Sixteen pounds sterling) in cash credited to file KTV/8022118209/04.

This is from a  total cash prize of £1,770,192  shared amongst the first twelve (12) lucky winners in this category i.e Match 5 plus bonus.

All participants for the online version were selected randomly from World Wide Web sites through computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000 unions, associations and corporate bodies that are listed online. This promotion takes place weekly.

Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our European booklet representative office in Europe as indicated in your play coupon.

In view of this,you have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of £147,516 (One Hundred and fourthy Seven thousand five Hundred and Sixteen pounds sterling).This sum will be released to you by any of our payment offices
in Europe.

Our European agents will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds as soon as you contact them.

For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential until your claims is processed and your money remitted to you in whatever manner you deem fit.

This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program.Please be  warned.

To file for your claims, please contact our fiduciary agent:

Mrs Catherine Pitcher.
Email: claimsagent_uk_lot@yahoo.co.uk

For further clarification/verification of your claims, Please call on any of our official numbers as stated in notification e-mail.

You can go to our online result site to confirm the value of your winnings and also get a prize breakdown:http://www.national-lottery.co.uk/player/p/results/prizes/prizeAction.do

Goodluck from me and members of staff of the UK NATIONAL LOTTERY.

Yours faithfully,
Richard K. Lloyd.
Online coordinator for UK NATIONAL LOTTERY
Sweepstakes International Program

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam