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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:
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "power of attorney" (with your bank details and a power of attorney form criminals sometimes empty bank accounts)
• 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!
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: Jacobs Pual <gracelandfinance@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 05:11:07 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Process Your Winnings!!



Dear VICTIMNAME
This is to confirm the receipt of your email response in respect to your winning notification, firstly we want to congratulate you again and also to inform you that GRACELANDLOTTERY have finally verified and certified you the true winner of the prize of the SOUTH AFRICAN 2010 LOTTERY AWARD. Harry, Due to pile up with other winners and the company want to pay out every winner his or her winning prize before the rollover date which is coming soon, therefore payouts are divided into among other affiliated offices and your name which is under category (B)has fallen under south African payment office, We then advise you to call or email us your possibility of coming down to our office in South Africa to sign out your prize winning and process your claims as the company policy requires.

Harry, optionally in the avenue due to any circumstances whatsoever where by it’s not possible for you to come down personally subsequent with the stipulated time frame attached to your winning validation, we will there fore have to arrange and allocate a legal Representative that is accredited to this lottery organization that shall act on your behalf to represent you accordingly whom you will empower fully by signing attested power of attorney to carry out this brief on your behalf.

Do understand that the legal service if free and as such, it is your duty to contact this legal representative immediately you are forwarded with his/her details so that he / she has to act and represent you on your behalf in obtaining the relevant documents from the concerned departments and signing the required papers from the various offices and equally obtain the true and certified copy of certificate on your behalf,.

You also have to identify with the legal representative the means which you would like to receive your winnings claims may be through your account coordinates or through a certified cashier cheque.

For this reason, you are advised to call or email us immediately to indicate your options to us as you receive this email.

Thank you and once again Congratulations!
Yours truly,
Mr. Paul Jacob.
Fiduciary Claims Agent.













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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam