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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:
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "foreign service manager" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
• 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.
  • +27823970577 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • bongo2424frank@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "south draw" <southdraw_04@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2007 10:17:53 +0200
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!,CONGRATULATIONS!,CONGRATULATIONS!,CONGRATULATIONS!

FROM: THE DESK OF THE PROMOTION MANAGER,

SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSAL STAKE LOTTERY,

INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT.

4TH FLOOR, WISDOM BUILDING, #116 JAN SMUT AVENUE,

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA.

ATTN: SIR/MADAM,

                                   FINAL NOTICE AWARD NOTIFICATION

We are pleased to inform you of the announcement today, as one of the winners of the SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSAL STAKE LOTTERY DRAW/INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM, held on 14-02-2007 as part of our promotional draws.

Participants were selected  through a computer ballot system, drawn from  2,500,000 email addresses of individuals and companies from Africa, America, Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, Middle East, and New Zealand as part of our electronic business Promotions Program.

You qualified for the draw as a result of you visiting various websites we are running the e-business promotions for. You/Your Company, attached to ticket number 348-211-8217, with serial number 413-18 drew the lucky numbers 7, 10, 18, 26, 32, 39, Bonus, 43, and consequently won in the Second Category. You have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of US$950,000.00 in cash, which is the winning payout for Second category winners. This is from the total prize money of US$9,500,000.00 shared among the ten international winners in the Second category.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Your fund is now deposited and insured with ALERT SECURITY AND FINANCE COMPANY.  Due to the mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep this award strictly from public notice until your claim has been processed and your money remitted to your account.  This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unscrupulous acts by participants of this program.

We hope with a part of your prize, you will participate in our mid year (2007) high stakes of US$1.3  billion International Lottery.

To begin your claim, please contact your claim agent immediately;  

MR. FRANK BONGO

FOREIGN SERVICE MANAGER, SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSAL STAKE LOTTERY

4TH FLOOR, WISDOM BUILDING, #116 JAN SMUT AVENUE,

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA.

TEL: +27-82-397-0577

EMAIL: bongo2424frank@yahoo.co.uk

For due processing and remittance of your prize money to a designated account of your choice. Remember, you must contact your claim agent not later than one month of  announcement. After one month, your fund will be returned as unclaimed.

NOTE: In order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please remember to  quote your reference and batch numbers provided below in  every of your correspondence with your

claim agent.

REFERENCE NUMBER: SAUS-ZA52-025L-2

BATCH NUMBER: 91-628-PBL

Congratulations once again from all our staff and thank you for being part of our promotions program.

Sincerely,

THE PROMOTION MANAGER,

SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSAL STAKE LOTTERY.

4TH FLOOR, WISDOM BUILDING, #116 JAN SMUT AVENUE,

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA.

  

N.B. Any breach of confidentiality on the part of the  winners will result to disqualification. Please do not reply to this mailbox. Contact your claim agent through his email contact above.

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam