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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:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "claims 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.
  • bay_consult@yahoo.co.uk

Fraud email example:

From: "Anpostint60 Lottery" <anpostint60@msn.com>
Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 07:15:42 +0000
Subject: An Post International Lottery Company

An Post International Lottery Company
(Comhlacht Crannchur Naisiuta An Post)
Abbey Street Lower, Dublin 1,Republic of Ireland.
Ref. Number: 132/756/4509
Batch Number: 538901527-Bc68
Ticket Number: 27522465896-6453
Dear Sir/Madam,
We are pleased to inform you of the result of the Winners
in our International
Lottery Program held on the 17th Day of Feb, 2006. Your
e-mail address attached
to ticket number 27522465896-6453 with serial number
3772-554 drew lucky
numbers 7-14-18-31-45 which consequently won in the 2ND
category, you have
therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of
1,000,000 EUROS (One Million
EUROS).
CONGRATULATIONS!
Due to mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you
keep your winning
information confidential until your claims have been fully
processed and
your money Remitted to you. This is part of our security
protocol to avoid
multiple claims and unwarranted abuse of this program by
some participants.
All participants were selected through a computer ballot
system drawn from
over 20,000 company and 30,000,000 individual email
addresses and names
from all over the world. This promotional program takes
place every five
years.
This lottery was promoted and sponsored by a conglomerate
of some multinational
companies in Europe as part of their social
responsibility to the citizens in the communities where
they have operational
base. We hope with part of your winnings you will take
part in our next
year Ten million Euros international lottery. To file for
your claim, please
contact our fiducial agent:Mr. Bay Auger at:
bay_consult@yahoo.co.uk

Remember all winning must be claimed not later than 27th
feb,2006.
After this date all unclaimed funds will be included in
the nextstake. 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 from our members of staff and
thank you for being
part of our promotional program.
Note: Anybody under the age of 18 is automatically
disqualified.
Yours Sincerely,
Mr Law Martins.
International Lottery (co-coordinator)
N.B: Any breach of confidentiality on the part of the
winners will result
to disqualification. Please do not reply to this mail.
Contact your claims
agent.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam