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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "transfer of your funds" (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.
  • +447045702765 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +448712531905 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +447842018568
• 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.
  • cosmicfinancialgroup@yahoo.co.uk

Fraud email example:

From: MICROSOFT LOTTERY OFFICE <mswordpromo_claimsdept01@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2007 12:33:00 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Microsoft Award Winning Lottery Notification(CONTACT THE PAYING BANK


ATTN: Amshula Gaurang
We acknowledge the receipt of your information. You are required to note that your funds is presently in a suspence account in our paying bank (COSMIC FINANCIAL GROUP) and you will be required to ACTIVATE an account which will be suitable for the transfer of your funds with our paying bank. The funds required to have an operational account in our paying bank will be PAID by you.

This payment that shall be made by YOU will be added to your winning such that when you finally make transfer of your funds both your initial deposit which is the cost for the activation of the account and your winning will be transfered into your account.

For immediate transfer of your winnings to you by our paying bank(COSMIC FINANCIAL GROUP),you are to contact them with the following information within the next 24hours;
1. Full name
2. Telephone Number/Fax Number.
3. Amount Won
4. Reference/Batch Number

Find below the contact information of our paying Bank:
=======================================
COSMIC FINANCIAL GROUP
Accounts director: Mr. Basil Crosby
Email: accounts@cosmicfinancials.co.uk
cosmicfinancialgroup@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: +44-784-201-8568| +44-704-570-2765
Fax: +44-871-253-1905| +44-871-253-1906
=======================================

Note: Your prize money is protected by a hardcover insurance policy by INSURANCE SQUARED, which makes it impossible to deduct any amount from the money before it has been remitted to you.

Regards,
DONALD DUKE.
==============================================================================================================
This email and its attachments are confidential and intended for the exclusive use of the addressee(s).This email and its attachments may also be privileged or protected by legal rules. If you have received this by mistake please let us know by reply immediately and destroy the email and its attachments without reading, copying or forwarding the contents.




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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam