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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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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 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.
  • unionbankplc001@fastermail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "REV. DR. MARTIN JOHNSON" <martjohnson35@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 08:58:40 +0100
Subject: RE: REF NO: 12/0078/IPG BATCH NO: EGS/ 20054117/08

Dear Myrna Luz Chavez (Winner)

The notice you got was in respect to the result of the Tinapa Award
Promotion in which you won in the fifth category.

This promotion takes place annually. All participants are selected randomly
through their school email addresses and a computer ballot system was drawn
from 15 million email addresses from Australia, New Zealand, America,
Europe, North America etc. The promotion is geared towards encouraging the
use of internet and computers and to improve the level of education
worldwide.

Below attachment is your winning certificate and my international passport
for identification sake. Forward your certificate of winning to the bank
and choose one of the modes of payment below, also indicate your prefered
mode of payment to the bank to enable them approve your payment and transfer
your fund to you.

You are required to choose one of these modes of payment:

1. Payment by cheque.
2. Telegraphic Wire Transfer.

If you choose option 'one' then you are required to send your full name and
residential address to the bank, while if you choose option 'two' you are
required to send your bank account details (Your name, Your bank name, Your
account number) to the bank together with your certificate of winning.

Below is the bank e mail address and telephone number:
unionbankplc001@fastermail.com

Here is the telephone number of the bank: 011-234-802-549-2463

Congratulations! As you receive your fund, may the almighty God bless you
and your family.

Rev (Dr) Martin Johnson.

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam