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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
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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:
  • "uk national lottery" (can only win this lottery if you bought a ticket)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
• 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!

Fraud email example:

From: LOTTERY CLAIMS AGENT <mrbrian_gere@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 12:31:31 +0100 (BST)
Subject: DEADLINE IS FAST APPROACHING


Hello Baldrik,
I have recieved your email and i want to assure you once more that you are trully a winner of the uk national lottery prize.I want to say that i am dissappointed in the questions you are asking.Do not be afraid to come forward to claim your winning prize because if you delay any further,you will loose all your winnings and i wil not be blamed for that.Because i have warned you before hand.
I ave already sent you in my previous email your lottery winning certificate as proof to this.Or didnt you get it?Let me know so that i send it again to you.
However,if you want to hire the services of a lawyer here in the uk to help you process all the neccessary documents to enable your funds to be transferred to you.That will be fine.Just write me and let me know what you want so that i can recommend a highly respected chamber in the uk to help you out.Remember that you lottery sum is large and we must take a neccessary measures to secure it.I want to assure you that i will be as a brother to you and if this asnt true,i would not have told i ecieved your cheque form the lottery company as your agent.
Reply as soon as possible because the bank is already thinking of returning your cheque back to the lottery company.




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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam