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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.
• 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.
  • +447024099127 (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.
  • mrs.gracekarimu@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mike Zumbu" <mikezumbu@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 08:21:00 +0100
Subject: PRIZE NOTIFICATION


BRITISH ONLINE LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL
117 - 125, Cromwell Road, London, Kensington SW7.United Kingdom


Dear Winner,

PRIZE NOTIFICATION.


We are pleased to inform you of the result of the online cyber lotto Draws
of the BRITISH ONLINE LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL. held on the 1st May 2006
The online cyber lotto draws was conducted from an exclusive list of
25,000 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 one of ten winners in the category "A" with the following
particulars:

(i) Winning numbers: 37-13-43-54-67-11
(ii) Email code number: sw/754/22/76
(iii) Lotto ref number: sw/09622UK

Hence you are eligible for the prize of One Million Pound Sterling.Please
contact the under listed Fiduciary Coordinator as soon as possible for
processing of your claim:

Mrs. Grace Karimu
Executive Payment
Coordinator.
Email: mrs.gracekarimu@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: +447024099127.

When making your claims quote your email code number in the subject of
your email.You are required keep this award to yourself, especially your
Particulars, until your claim has been processed and your money remitted
to you.Once again on behalf of all our staff,

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Sincerely,

Mike Zumbu
Promotion Manager.
British National lottery.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam