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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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• 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")
  • "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 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.
  • +447023055144 (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.
  • onlotpromcedwin@graffiti.net (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Microsoft Online Lottery Promotions" <waltermistjnes@covad.net>
Reply-To: wlterjnesukntly@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 04:38:04 -0000
Subject: Microsoft Online Lottery Promotions (NOTIFICATION OF WINNINGS)!!!



From the Desk of the Lottery Co-Ordinator,
MICROSOFT ONLINE LOTTERY PROMOTIONS,
(NOTIFICATION DIVISION)
Ref Number: ONLOTPRO/315689B2/909
Batch Number: 892/ABC/6729/2006

Dear Lucky Winner,

YOUR ONLINE LOTTERY PROMOTIONS PRIZE AWARDS WINNING NOTIFICATION.

We are pleased to inform you of the Result of the last Final Annual Draw of
our Lottery International Programs.

The Online Lottery draws was conducted from an exclusive list of 25,000,000
E-mail Addresses of Individual and Corporate bodies picked by an Advanced
Automated random computer search from the Internet. "NO TICKETS WERE
SOLD".

After this Automated Computer Ballot, your E-mail Address emerged as a
winner attached to E-Ticket Number: 826389304 9934 with Serial Number
829677 drew the Lucky Numbers: 36.27.23.29.31.59 (Bonus No.49), which
subsequently won you the Lottery in the 2nd Category. You havetherefore been
approved to Claim a total sum of $4,350,000 (Four Million Three Hundred and
Fifty Thousand USD) in cash credited to file ONLOTPRO/8292648506/2006. This
is from a Total Cash Prize of $24,500,000 shared amongst the first Six (6)
Lucky Winners in this Category.

Your Prize Award has been insured and is ready for claims. To begin your
claims therefore, you are advised to expeditiously contact our licensed and
accredited Claim Agent for Overseas Lottery Winners within a period of 14
days (Date of this Email inclusive) for the processing of your winning and
remittance to your designated Bank Account after all statutory obligations
have been satisfactorily dispensed with.

You are further advised to contact him with the informations below:
=======================================================================
Online Lottery Claims Unit
Contact Person: Mr. Edwin McDaniels
Email: onlotpromcedwin@graffiti.net,
Office Tel: +44-702-305-5144,+ 44-703-182-0462
Fax: +44-709-286-1406.
=======================================================================
You are Advised to provide him with the following information:

Names:
Address:
Age:
Occupation:
Telephone/Fax number:
Nationality:
Reference Numbers:
Batch Numbers:

NOTE: All winnings must be claimed not later than 14 days; thereafter, all
unclaimed funds would be included in the next stake. Remember to quote
your Reference information in all correspondence.

You are to keep all lotto information confidential, especially your
Reference and Ticket Numbers. (This is important, as a case of double claims
will not be entertained). Members of the affiliate agencies are
automatically not allowed to participate in this Program.

Furthermore, should there be any change of Address do inform our Agent as
soon as possible.

NOTE: Anybody under the Age of 18 is Automatically Disqualified.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Yours' Faithfully,

Walter Jones
Lottery Co-Ordinator.

PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS BUT TO YOUR ONLINE CLAIMS
AGENT FOR ONWARD REMITTANCE OF YOUR CLAIMS.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam