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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.

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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:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "international remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• 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.
  • frontconsultant@aim.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: van borsch <van-bosch5@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 03:33:49 -0400
Subject: TIME TO CELEBRATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


TIME TO CELEBRATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!EUROPEAN UNION LOTTERY PRIZE AWARD
Dear Sir/Madam,We bring to your notice the results of the first EUROPEAN LOTTO PROMO INT. We are happy to inform you that you have emerged as a winner under the First Category, which is part of our promotional draws. The draws are being officially announced today 4th,July 2007. Participants were selected through a computer ballot system.
Your e-mail address, attached to ticket number 9885, with serial number 290-7877 and lucky number P-23517consequently won in the First Category. You have therefore been awarded a prize sum pay out of 920,000.00 (Nine hundred and twenty thousand Euros), which is the winning payout for Category A winners.
In your best interest to avoid mix up of numbers and names of any kind, we request that you keep the entire details of your award strictly personal until the process of transferring your claims has been completed. Please contact our paying bank immediately for due processing and remittance of your prize money to a designated account of your choice: Find below your Wining numbers. Remember to quote these numbers in your correspondence with your paying bank.REF Number: NM/BC921245/KY14BATCH No: NM/207161/WOP.CONGRATULATIONS!!!Your fund is now deposited with the paying Bank. To begin your claims, kindly contact the paying bank with the below information:********************************************************************************************************Contact person: Mr. James Milton. (International Remittance Department).E-mail: frontconsultant@aim.com
***********************************************Kindly furnish them with the following:(i).YOUR FULL NAME(S),(ii) YOUR TELEPHONE AND FAX NUMBER(iii) YOUR CONTACT ADDRESS(iv) YOUR WINNING INFORMATION(including amount won). Congratulations.NOTE: All claims are nullified after 20 working days from today.Congratulations once again from all our staff, and thank you for being part of our promotions program. Yours Sincerely,Mr Van Borsch(Online Lottery Coordinator).

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam