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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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 phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • ",000,000" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
• 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.
  • +31644965098 (Netherlands, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • remittregio@aol.com

Fraud email example:

From: "nedlotto" <nedmesagegtmku@walla.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 13:27:22 -0900
Subject: SEE YOUR MESSAGE:

POSTCODE LOTERIJ NL.
www.postcodeloterij.nl
RESULTS FOR CATEGORY "B" DRAWS
Ticket Number: AA7099-26

Dear Sir/Madam,

This is to inform you that your Email Address attached to Ticket Number:AA7099-26,has won a prize Sum of:One Million Euro(1,000,000 Euro)in the category "B" of the draw,from Postcodeloterij-nl Free Award Promotion,held in the Netherlands.

DATE OF DRAW/PROMOTION: 20th July,2007

PRIZE NUMBER:67218/42/NL, TICKET NUMBER:AA7099-26, LUCKY NUMBER:40/23/44/80

All participants were selected from a random computer ballot system,in this charitable sweepstake which is sponsored by postcdeloterij-nl and private companies/organisations,from major cities in Europe.

To avoid mix up of numbers and names of any kind,we request that you keep the entire details of your award strictly from public notice until the process of transferring your claims has been completed,and your fund remitted to your account.This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claims and unscrupulous acts by Participants/nonparticipants of this program.

To file in your claims and other enquiries,contact our paying bank contact email address written below with the following details:

(1)NAME:
(2)CONTACT ADDRESS:
(3)TELEPHONE AND FAX NUMBERS:
(4)TICKET AND PRIZE NUMBERS:
(5)NOTIFICATION DATE:

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Contact Person: Mr.David Meyer
Contact Email: remittregio@aol.com
Tel: +31 644 965 098

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Yours Sincerely,
Joan Van Henk(Lottery Coordinator)

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam