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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
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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:

• 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)
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "million dollars" (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)
  • "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!
• 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.
  • +27737689156 (South Africa, 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.
  • agentrichard2007za@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: rose woods <swiss_lott.17@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2007 17:23:17 +0200
Subject: YOU ARE A LUCKY WINNER "CONGRATULATIONS"



Bienvenue à SWISS LOTTO via Internet: www.swisslotto.ch Dotation estimée pour les 6 bons numéros de mercredi: Ref. Number: 133/756/4509 Batch Number: 538901527-Bc68 Joker Ticket Numbers Dear Sir/Madam, We are pleased to inform you of the result of the Winner in our International Lottery Program held on the 1 of january, 2007. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number 521194 with serial number 3772-556 drew lucky numbers 7-14-18-31-45 which consequently won in the Joker category, you are among the 300 people who have been approved for a lump sum pay out of ONE MILLION NINE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. ($1,950,000,00) CONGRATULATIONS! Due to mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep your winning information confidential until your claims have been fully processed and your money Remitted to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid multiple claims and unwarranted abuse of this program . All People were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from over 20,000 company and 30,000,000 individual email addresses and names from all over the world. This promotional program takes place every five years. This lottery was promoted and sponsored by a conglomerate of some multinational companies in south africa as part of their social responsibility to the citizens in the communities where they have operational base. We hope with part of your winnings you will take part in our next year Ten million Dollars international lottery. To file for your claim, please contact our financial agent. Mr. RICHARD BALOYI Reply Email : agentrichard2007za@yahoo.co.uk phone: +27 73 768 9156 OUR WEB SITE: www.swisslotto.ch Remember all winning must be claimed not later than 30 of SEPTEMBER 2007 after this date all unclaimed funds will be included in the next stake Please note in order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, remember to quote your reference number and batch numbers in all correspondence. an international passport or a driving licence scan and send to the agent full names full residential address work address direct tel phone number all agents details are in our database. a cheque of $1,950,000,00 would be sent to you with the information the agent would received from you. so send the right information to your agent. Furthermore should there be any change of address do inform our agent as soon as possible. Congratulations once more from our members of staff and thank you for being part of our promotional program. Note: Anybody under the age of 18 is automatically disqualified. Yours Sincerely, Mrs. ROSE WOODS International Lottery (co-ordinator) N.B: Any breach of confidentiality on the part of the winners will result to disqualification. Please do not reply to this mail. Contact your claims agent now.
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam