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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:

• 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:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
• 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.
  • +447011129085 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +447024024110 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • thpgray@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Lottery Office" <lotterydesk@btconnect.com>
Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2007 03:29:48 +0100
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS........YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WON SWEEPTAKES LOTTERY

 
ONLINE SWEEPSTAKES INTERNATIONAL
NOTIFICATION DESK
Ref: UK/2790Z9/14
Batch: 095/07/GY479
DEVON, EX15 1BS
UNITED KINGDOM

 

We are pleased to announce to you the draw of the WORLD ONLINE SWEEPSTAKES PROGRAM held on MONDAY 6TH AUGUST 2007.Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 87475 with Serial number 42/05 drew the lucky number: 34 which subsequently won the prize. You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of $2,500,000.00 (TWO MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS) in cash credited to file KTU/9023143268/07.

 

All participants for the online version were selected randomly from the World Wide Web through a computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000 unions, associations, and corporate bodies that are listed online.This promotion takes place weekly.

 

To file for your claim, please contact our Fiduciary agent In charge:

 

MR THOMPSON GRAY
Tel: (+44)702-402-4110,+44-701-112-9085
Fax: (+44)7075767559

Email:thpgray@yahoo.co.uk

 

The following data is required to process your lottery winnings.

 

1.FULL NAME:
2.DATE OF BIRTH
3.RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS
4.SEX
5.OCCUPATION.
6.MARITAL STATUS.
7.NATIONALITY.
8.NEXT OF KIN.
9.PHONE.
10.MOBILE/FAX NUMBER
11.WINNING EMAIL ADDRESS.

Good luck from me and members of staff of the WORLD ONLINE SWEEPSTAKES
LOTTERY.

 

Yours faithfully,

Mr Richard Moore

--

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam