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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 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)
  • "claim 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!

Fraud email example:

From: "Lottery Board" <lotto_board2000@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 11:50:50 +0200
Subject: INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS AWARD DEPARTMENT

FROM THE DESK OF THE PROMOTIONS MANAGER,
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS AWARD DEPARTMENT,

Attn: Abdul Karim Mansoor Ali Al gholi

PO Box 250,Marqah ,Baadan ,IBB ,Yemen

This is to inform you that we have acknowledged the receipt of your email and your requests to enable you receive your winning prize money.

After series of investigation and inquiries in our African Zonal Office, we received some copies of fax related to your file in a bid to receive your winning prize money and we were made to understand that a certain fee is been demanded by the Bank to facilitate the transfer of your winning prize money.

We therefore inform you that your total winning prize money of $1,500,000.00 (One Million and Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars only) will be transferred to your Yemen Account as stated in the Remittance Fax we received from First National Bank South Africa and that your winning prize money will be transferred in three time installmentally by $5000,00.00 each installment.

You are required to pay the some of $1,617 (One Thousand, Six Hundred and Seventeen US Dollars only) for each transfer of $500,000.00.

We have instructed our South Africa Office and Mr. Jim Parson, "your Claim Agent" to give you information on how to make the payment to enable the Zonal Office make the payment before the transfer of your winning prize money.

We also receive information from the Bank that Deduction and Withdrawals are not allowed until your winning prize money is received in your Yemen Account in respect to the Foreign Exchange Regulation Order.

Do contact Mr. Jim Parson to keep you informed on how you will make the payment

Susan Davies. (Mrs.)

Co-ordinator.

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam