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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:
  • "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 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.
  • mary11@tsamail.co.za

Fraud email example:

From: "MR JAMES SPENCER" <leedloto_dev16@yahoo.com> (may be fake)
Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 00:53:04 +0100
Subject: PLS. RESPOND

LEEDS-LOTTO Headquarters:
Customer Service
Ref: NL/9420X2/68
Batch: 074/05/ZY369

WINNING NOTIFICATION:

We happily announce to you the draw of the LEEDS-LOTTO
Sweepstake
Lottery International programs held on the 30TH
OCTOBER, 2004.in
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLAND.

Your e-mail address attached to ticket number:
6475600545 188 with
Serial number 5368/02 drew the lucky numbers:
19-6-26-17-35-7, which
subsequently won you the lottery in the 2nd category.
You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum
of
US$5,500,000.00 (five million,Five Hundred Thousand
United States
Dollars) in cash credited to file Ktu/9023118308/03.
All participants were selected randomly from World
Wide Web site
through computer draw system and extracted from over
100,000
companies.This promotion takes place every five years
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, your US$5,500,000.00
(five million,Five
Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) would be
released to you by
our payment office in europe.

Our European agent will immediately commence the
process to
facilitate the release of your funds as soon as you
contact him.
For security reasons, you are advised to keep your
winning
information confidential till your claims is processed
and your money
remitted to you in whatever manner you deem fit to
claim your prize.
This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid
double claiming
and unwarranted abuse of this program by some
unscrupulous elements.
Please be warned.
To file for your claim, please contact our fiduciary
agent:MR.COLLINS SPENCER
To avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please
quote your
reference/batch numbers in any correspondences with us
or our
disgnated agent.
Congratulations once more from all members and staffs
of this
program. Thank you for being part of our promotional
lottery program.
You can also respond to this mail on: mary11@tsamail.co.za

Sincerely,
MR JAMES SPENCER
LEEDS LOTTO Co-ordinator

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam