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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "universal stakes lottery" (no such lottery exists)
• 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.
  • universallottery08@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mandy Williams" <universalotoey@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: universallottery08@yahoo.com
Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:55:34 +0100
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!!!

FROM: UNIVERSAL STAKES LOTTERY
22-24 ST LOUIS AVENUE,
3SLE 3BB UNITED KINDOM,
GREAT BRITAIN.
REF NUMBER: 014/060/532
BATCH NUMBER: 762901-PCD03

Sir/Madam,

We are pleased to inform you of the result of the Lottery Winners
International programs held on the 12th April, 2007. Your e-mail address
attached to ticket number 27522465896-6453 with serial number 3772-554
drew lucky numbers 7-14-18-23-31-45 which consequently won in the 2nd
category, you have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of
4,000,000
(EURO ) (FOUR MILLION EURO) CONGRATULATIONS!!!

For security purpose and clarity, we advise that you keep your winning
information confidential until your claims have been processed and your
money remitted to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid
double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by some participants.
All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from
over 20,000 companies and 30,000,000 individual email addresses and names
from a ll over the world. This promotional program takes place every year.
This lottery was promoted and sponsored by eminent personalities like the
Sultan of Brunei. We look forward to your active participation in our next
year USD50 million slot.

You are requested to contact our clearance office to assist you with
the claim and transfer of your winnings fund into your instructed account
Email address: universallottery08@yahoo.com

Note that all winnings must be claimed not later than one month. After
this date all unclaimed funds will be null and void. Please note in order to
avoid unnecessary delays and complications, remember to quote your
reference number and batch numbers in all correspondence. Furthermore,
should
there be any change of address do inform our agent as soon as possible.
Congratulations once more and thank you for being part of our
promotional program.
NOTE: YOU ARE AUTOMATICALLY DISQUALIFIED IF YOU ARE BELOW 18 YEARS OF
AGE.
Sincerely yours,

Mandy Willams.

(Lottery Coordinator.)

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam