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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:
  • "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
• 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.
  • +447031898324 (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.
  • brian_newman59@excite.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: UK NATIONAL LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY <flashbudget102007@hotmail.co.uk>
Reply-To: <brian_newman59@excite.com>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 16:48:24 +0100
Subject: DEAR WINNER CONGRATULATIONS.



FROM: THE DESK OF THE DIRECTORINTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS / PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT.HEADQUARTERS: 1A, CANADA SQUARE, CANARY WHARF, LONDON E14 5DT, UNITED KINGDOM REFERENCE Nº: EGS/2251256003/03BATCH Nº: 14/0017/1PD UK AWARD NOTIFICATION Flash Budget Finance Lottery of British International Lottery Program wishes to inform you the results of the E-mail address ballot lottery program by the British International Lottery Program held on May 10th, 2007. Your email account was selected as a winner of Nine hundred and fifty thousand Pounds Only. This result is now made available to you and your email address attached in the Category A bonus ball 02, 03, 21, 24, 38, 44, and bonus ball 47. Participants were selected through a computerized ballot system drawn from company and individual email addresses users. We advice that you keep your winning information confidential until your claims has been processed and your money released to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program. For the release of your winnings, kindly contact your claims agent with the following details to expedite the processing of your prize winning. To begin your claim, please contact our Claim Manager Mr. Brian Newman at the Claim Department immediately with the following email address; brian_newman59@excite.com OR call on telephone number +44 7031 898 324. All winning must be claimed not later than two weeks from the date of receipt of this email. After this date all prize winning will treated as Unclaimed. Claim manager's information are as follows:Mr. Brian Newman.email address; brian_newman59@excite.com call on telephone number +44 7031 898 324. Note in order to avoid unnecessary delays; remember to quote your Reference and Batch numbers in all correspondence. Congratulations once again from all our staff and thank you for being part of our special quarterly promotional Lottery program. Yours Sincerely,Mrs. Rebeca Smith.(Information and Promotion Manager)
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam