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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:
  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
• Support our efforts to stop scams!
  
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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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:
  • "million british pounds" (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)
  • ",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.
  • +447031924126 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: City Trust Bank Plc <info.citytrustbankplc@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2007 23:28:16 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Attention: Mr. Lothar Zweig (Take To My Advice)





Tel: +44-703-192-4126
Tel: +44-701-115-1300
Fax: +44-709-288-2090

Attention: Mr. Lothar Zweig,


How are you doing today? I hope fine.

My office received your e-mail and the content well noted. I am so impressed at the mail you sent this office, because it shows how serious you are to claim your winning fund. Please i want you to stop doubting and follow my instructions for your winnings will get to you. Let me make something clear to you, about how you won the Lottery.

It was a random of selection, the selection process was carried out through random selection in the Uk National Lottery computerized email selection system(ess) from a database of over 250,000 email addresses drawn from which you were selected. Your e-mail address emerged as one of two winners in the category "A", which won you the sum of 1,000,000.00 GBP (One Million British Pounds Sterling).

However, i want you to know that your winning was forwarded to our Bank, by the Lottery Organization for immediate transfer to be made to you, because the winnings have been approved for payment. In that case, i want you to know that you have nothing to worry about, because you are in the right place of receiving your winning fund.

Mr. Lothar Zweig, don't loss this great chance and a once in a life time opportunity, because of what happened to you in the past 13-14 months ago. I want you to understand that you are in the present times now, which means forward ever backward never, so i want you to think big and follow my instruction by selecting your preferable and affordable choice which you will like to use in receiving your winnings, because i know that this winnings will help you in a very long way, so don't play with it.

Select your receiving option and get back to this office, so that i can instruct you on how to effect the payment, in other for you to have your winnings transfer to you without any delay.

I expect you should take to my advice for your own benefit, as we look forward to hear from you soonest.

Deep Regards
Mr. Frank Ban
Account Officer/Logistic
@CITY TRUST BANK PLC.
Head Office & Accounts
25 Gresham Street London,
EC2V 7HN United Kingdom

City Trust Bank Plc the world reliable bank.


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam