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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
• Support our efforts to stop scams!
  
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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
• 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!

Fraud email example:

From: la primitiva lotteria <lotteriasalottos@web.de>
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 14:28:53 +0200
Subject: RE: AWARD FINAL NOTIFICATION




LA PRIMITIVA WWW.THELOTTER.COM<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

INTERNATIONAL PRIZE AWARD DEPT. <o:p></o:p>

FROM THE DESK OF THE MANAGING DIRECTOR
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION/PRIZE AWARD DEPT.
PLAZA DE COLON E-28830,MADRID, SPAIN, <o:p></o:p>

ATTENTION:REF-LP–0067549754–EE.
BATCH/000750013 <o:p></o:p>

RE: AWARD FINAL NOTIFICATION <o:p></o:p>

This is to inform you on the release of the LA PRIMITIVA LOTTERY PROGRAM FOR THE CHARITY OF HURRICANE KATRINA AND RITA DISASTER IN <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.A.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
held on <st1:date Month="9" Day="1" Year="2005">the 1ST SEP 2005</st1:date

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam