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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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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.
  • +447040106645 (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.
  • law_ann_lee2000@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Shelly Brown" <shelly_brown102@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: law_ann_lee2000@hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2007 04:29:34 -0600
Subject: Congratulations on your winning.

ATTN: SIR / MADAM,

 

Congratulations on your winning.

 

All participants were selected randomly from World Wide Web

Site through computer ballot system extracted from over

100,000 companies and individuals. This promotion takes

Place annually.

 

Your email address attached to ticket number: 56475600545 188 with serial number: 5388/02 drew the lucky numbers 31-6-26-13-35-7, which subsequently won you the lottery in the second category. You have therefore won us from the lottery $2.5m dollars as your winning prize.

 

You are required to forward the following details to help

Facilitate the processing of your certificate and the

release of your winnings.

 

1. Full names.

2. Residential address.

3. Phone number.

4. A scanned identification of your self sent via email

5. Occupation.

 

You are advised to forward these information as soon as possible to enable us attend to your file. Please note that your funds have been deposited safely in our offshore payment office in Europe and your information will be forwarded to them before they can release your Winnings. You are also to choose the mode which you want to collect your funds:

 

PAYMENT  OPTIONS.

i Travel down to personally collect it from our agent.

ii. This is for those who can not travel we will process the winnings and then package and send it via courier service but you will have to PAY FOR THE SERVICES.

 

You are to contact

Mr. Ann Lee

Financial Agent

Telephone Number: 44-7040-1066-45

Email Contact: law_ann_lee2000@hotmail.com

 

Once again congratulations.

 

Sincerely,

 

Shelly Brown.

PROTOCOLS AND GRAND (FOR OVERSEAS LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL.)

NB: PLEASE INDICATE A PAYMENT OPTION.

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam