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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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:

• 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.
  • +447031941678 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: bright collins <brightco_fiduciarydeptuk@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2007 19:35:52 +0100 (BST)
Subject: FREELOTTO GROUP INTERNATIONAL (URGENT INFORMATION)




FREELOTTO GROUP INTERNATIONAL
Prize Remittance Division (PRD)
Acknowledgement Receipt Claims Form -E
OUR REF: ref FL/0507/
FILE REF 07-21786542

Attention: Prize Winner,


This is in regard to all unclaimed funds with the Finance Department of the FREELOTTO GROUP INTERNATIONAL; we have been directed by our office that those winners who have not yet claimed their winning and have refused to claim their winning due to instructions from the trade commissions, relative or friends, regarding increase of scam practices.

We wish to inform you that no such organization or persons have right to dictate to us how we are to run the affairs of our organizations. You are required to request for our letter of disclaimer this means that you will be officially disqualified from your winning notification and it will necessitate us to stop sending you any of our winning notifications.

Be informed that some of our winners have paid for their courier or transfer charges and have already claimed their winning sum. But your case has been different. we can no longer tolerate wrong interpretation of our sponsors noble intentions, you are to state clearly to us that we should remove your name from the winning list for the sum of One Million Pound Sterling, that way we will not inform or update you with any more information on your winning sum.

Also, winners who are ready to meet up with our demands and to comply with our directives are advised to reply this email as soon as possible requesting for mode of payment for the cost of transfer or courier delivery of your winning as the case may be. Note that the reason why you are requested to make payment for the cost of transfer or courier delivery of your winning is inline with the United Kingdom Government that amount resulting from lotteries or raffles leaving the United Kingdom be made to pay for UK Government tax charges. Also, our office can not in anyway be responsible for such charges as we have done our part to make you a Millionaire through our lottery program. Note that the said winning sum can not be deducted from this winning sum, to cover the cost of transfer or cost of courier delivery as it is covered by a strong insurance policy.

I advise you to think wisely and make up the requested charge to enable you receive this winning as soon as possible. I await your reply soonest.

Congratulations once again on your winning notification.

RICKY JEFFSON, PHIL DOREEN, and LARRY GRAIN.
(Head of Remittance)
Prize Remittance Division (PRD)
Free lotto Group International.
+447031941678, +447011128513



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam