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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:
  • "hundred thousand united states dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
  • "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)
  • "cheques " (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 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.
  • +447039128388 (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.
  • worldlinkcourierservice@yahoo.com.au

Fraud email example:

From: "ambrose michel1" <ambrosemichel1@msn.com>
Date: Sun, 08 Jan 2006 00:38:12 +0000
Subject: WINNINGS NOTIFICATION OF US$4.2M

UK-LOTTO ORGANIZATION
Ticket Free/Online Winnings and Notification Department

Ref Number: 1648UK
Batch Number: B52
Tel: +44-7039128388(Co-ordinator)

WINNINGS NOTIFICATION OF US$4.2M:

We happily announce to you the result of the U.K Lotto Organization's online
draws and sweepstakes program held in Bangkok-Thailand on the 31st of
December, 2005. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number:
569245398266LQ with Serial number: 546-532829 drew the lucky numbers:
42-90-58-33-84 which subsequently won you the lottery in the first category.

You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of US$4.2M (Four
Million, Two Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in cash credited to
file FST/26487710-95.This is from a total cash prize of US$4.2 000,000.00
shared amongst the first Ten (10) lucky winners in this category.

All participants were selected randomly from World Wide Web site through
computer online draw system and extracted from over 100,000 companies.

The below courier company has been given the contract to deliver all our
winners cheques from the first to last category.

WORLDLINK COURIER COMPANY LTD
410/36 Rachadaphisek Bangkok, Thailand.
Contact Agent: Mr. ALEX HUA (Director of Operations and Logistics)
Email address: worldlinkcourierservice@yahoo.com.au

You are to contact Mr. ALEX HUA on the above email address for quick
delivery of your Uk-Lotto certfied winnings cashiers cheque. In your contact
mail to Mr. ALEX HUA, state/include the following:

-Your country
-Your complete official names
-Your contact telephone, mobile and fax numbers
-Your address where your wish to receive your winnings cheque
-Your Ref Number and Batch Numbers
-Your Ticket Number and Lucky Numbers
-Your Serial and File Numbers

Do not be scared of anything happening to your winnings cheque with the
Bellview Express Thailand Company Ltd as all the cheques was processed in a
such a way that no sum can be deducted from it till it gets to the
beneficiary/winner's address and deposited in any bank of choice in your
country or any in any part of the world for onward payment by the bank.

For safety measures and to avoid fruadulent claims you are adviced to keep
all about your winnings information and notification confidential and away
from all third parties till your cheque arrives your address and cashed.

Goodluck.

Mr. Garry Desmond
Online Co-ordinator/Notification Officer UK-LOTTERY ORGANIZATION
Sweepstakes International Program.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam