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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
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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:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
• 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.
  • slwc_feedback@hotmail.com
  • slwc_feedback@hotmail.com

Fraud email example:

From: "sl wc" <slwc06@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 20:57:43 -0400
Subject: WINNING NOTIFICATION

SWISS LOTTO
GESELLSCHAFT SCHWEIZER ZAHLENLOTTO
POSTFACH
4002 BASEL
REF NUMBER: CSL/74/368/04
BATCH NUMBER: CS-121-LT-8-12-04
Email: slwc_feedback@hotmail.com

DEAR SIR/MADAM,

We are pleased to inform you, THAT AS A RESULT OF OUR RECENT Lottery DRAWS
HELD on the 19th of oct, 2005. Your e-mail address attached to ticket
number63538953216-435 with serial number 172-488 drew lucky numbers 1 - 8 -
13 - 15 - 20 - 22 + 45 which consequently won in the 2nd category.

You have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of 4,000,000
(DOLLARS) (four MILLION
DOLLARS) note that 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,
Michael Dell of Dell Computers 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 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 participation in our next year USD 75 million slot.
You are requested to contact our clearance officer below to assist you with
your winnings and subsequent payments. all winnings must be claimed not
later than one month After the date of this notice.

Please note, in order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications,
remember to quote your reference number and batch numbers in all
correspondence. Furthermore, should there be any change of address do inform
our agent as soon as possible.

Congratulations once more and thank you for being part of our promotional
program.

NOTE: YOU ARE AUTOMATICALLY DISQUALIFIED IF YOU ARE BELOW 18 YEARS OF AGE.

Sincerely yours,
MRS. Elizabeth Wetters
(LOTTERY COORDINATOR)

N.B Acknowledging the receipt of this mail with the
email: slwc_feedback@hotmail.com

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam