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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash)
• 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.
  • hallmarkconsult@excite.com
  • hallmarrkconsult@yahoo.co.uk

Fraud email example:

From: "HALLMARK FOUNDATION" <HALLMARKSTAKES@ELTIMON.COM> (may be fake)
Reply-To: HALLMARKCONSULT@HANDBAG.COM
Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 11:09:18 +0100
Subject: YOUR PRIZE

HALLMARK FOUNDATION LOTTERY PROMOTION
PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPT
Chaucer House
Churchill Gardens
London, SW1V 3DW
United Kingdom.

In Conjunction with The National Organizing Committee of the2006 FIFA
World Cup. FIFA Fussball-Weltmeisterschaft 2006 organisationskomitee
Deutschland koniginstrabe 23, 80539 Munchen.

RE: WINNING NOTIFICATION..........CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

This is to inform you of the release of the E-MAIL LOTTERY BALLOT
INTERNATIONAL/ WORLDGAMING BOARD held on the 30th of September 2005.
Due to the mix up of numbers, the results were released on the 10th of
October 2005. Your email address attached to ticket number:
4156189324 under agent ID: 110, which subsequently won you a prize.

You have therefore been approved for a lump sum payout of
$1,000,000.00(one million dollars) in cheque drawn in your favour as beneficiary and
covered with HIGH INSURANCE POLICY.

Due to mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep your
winning information's confidential until your claims has been processed and
your money remitted to you. All participants were selected through a
computer ballot system
drawn from only Microsoft users from over 20,000.00 companies and
3,000,000 individual email addresses and names from all over the world.

To begin your lottery claim, please contact our agent below who has
been appointed for the processing of your claim with the email address
below:

CONTACT NAME: John Kasper,
EMAIL: hallmarkconsult@excite.com
hallmarrkconsult@yahoo.co.uk

Note that all winning must be claimed not later than 2 weeks of
receiving this notification. After this date all unclaimed, funds will be
included in the next stake. Please note in order to avoid unnecessary
delays and complications please remember to quote your WINNING NUMBER and
AGENT NUMBER in all correspondence, and if there is any change of address
do inform our agent as soon as possible.

Congratulations!

Yours faithfully,
Mrs. Dorothy Michaels


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam