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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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 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.
  • +447023050612 (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.
  • vanpersie@excite.com

Fraud email example:

From: "infroagent infro" <infroagent102@sympatico.ca>
Reply-To: vanpersie@excite.com
Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 15:54:05 +0000
Subject: WINNING NOTIFICATION

UKONLINE

UK ONLINE Lottery
P O Box 1010
Liverpool, L70 1NL
UNITED KINGDOM
(Customer Services)
Ref: UK/9420X2/68
Batch: 074/05/ZY369

21st Febraury 2006.

                                    WINNING NOTIFICATION:draw (#986)

We happily announce to you the draw (#986) of the UKONLINE LOTTERY,online Sweepstakes International program held on  14th Febraury 2006.

Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 56475600545188 with Serial number 5368/02 drew the lucky numbers:1-4-8-26-28-36(bonus no.), which subsequently won you the lottery in the 2ndcategory i.ematch 5 plus bonus.

You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of £500,000 (five hundred thousand pounds sterling ) in cash credited to file KTU/9023118308/03.

This is from a total cash prize of £2,000,000 shared amongst the first four (4) lucky winners in this category i.e Match 5 plus bonus.

All participants for the online version were selected
randomly from World Wide Web sites through computer draw system and
extracted from over 100,000 unions, associations, and corporate bodies
that are listed online. This promotion takes place weekly.

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 £500,000 (five hundred thousand pounds sterling ) would be released to you by any of our
payment offices in Europe.

Our European agent will immediately commence theprocess 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 claim 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
clai ming and unwarranted abuse of this program. Please be warned.

To file for your claim, please contact our fiduciary agent:

Mr vanpersie julius

Email: vanpersie@excite.com

Tel:+447023050612

Goodluck from me and members of staff of the UK ONLINE
LOTTERY.

Yours faithfully,

vanpersie julius
Online coordinator for UK ONLINE LOTTERY,
Sweepstakes International Program.
Open 7 days 8am-11pm

 

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam