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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:

• The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "euroafriq lotto award" (no such lottery exists)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • treasurylotto_office_2007@yahoo.fr

Fraud email example:

From: jamesduchima01@microcamp.com.br
Date: Wed, 16 May 2007 06:13:54 -0300
Subject: UNCLAIMED LOTTO PRIZE PAYMENT NOTICE.


INTERNATIONAL LOTTO ORGANIZATION Juan Hurtado De Mendoza 6D 28044, Cotonou
Republic du Benin  UNCLAIMED LOTTO PRIZE PAYMENT NOTICE.  ATTENTION
TO THE OWNER OF THIS EMAIL ADDRESS;  Winner in the 2nd category of our
Euroafriq free Net Lottery Promotional award draws held December 2006.
 I am writing in respect to your lotto winning prize of
$715,810.00(Seven hundred and fifteen thousand eight hundred and ten US
Dollars only) which you won through the email ballot draws in our Euroafriq
Lotto Award in 2006 in the second category prize winnings category. We wish
to inform you that your total prize money of $715,810.00 has been returned to
us by our Lotto claims agent as unclaimed prize after their initial letter to
your address for your payment was not successful.You are here by requested to
contact our treasury Office on telephone  229-93819446 or
email:(treasurylotto_office_2007@yahoo.fr)for your immediate payment. Our
Treasury officer's name is Richard Peterson, so refer this to him and contact
him immediately for your unclaimed lotto prize payment to you.You should
contact our Treasury Officer as directed above for your payment,and do notify
me as soon as you received your payment from our Treasurer. Thanks, Mrs Vera
Lucas. President; Int'l Lotto Org.
_________________________________________________________
Microcamp

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam