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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:
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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.
  • +447043014122 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: newton@newton787.orangehome.co.uk
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 21:08:35 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: =?UTF-8?Q?YOU_HAVE_WON_=C2=A31,250,000.00?=


NATIONAL LOTTERY LONDON
NATIONAL LOTTERY UK
7a Omiston Grove,
LONDON,EC3N 2PR

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are pleased to inform you of the result of the Winners in our 5-YEAR International Lottery Program held on the 26Th Day of , MAY 2007. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number 27522465896-6453 with serial number 3772-554 drew lucky numbers 7-14-18-31-45 which consequently won in the 2ND category, you have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of £1,250,000.00(ONE MILLION TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND POUNDS )

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 by some participants. All participants 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 LONDON as part of their social responsibility to the citizens in the communities where they have operational bases. We hope with part of your winnings you will take part in our next year Ten million Pounds international lottery. To file for your claim, please contact your solicitor/fiducially Promotion Manager: (JOHN SMITH)

Mr. JOHN SMITH
TELL+447043014122
johnsmithoffice@pc.nu

You are required to forward the following details to
help facilitate the processing of your claims and
certificate which will facilitate the release of your
winnings.

Ref. Number: 132/756/4509
Batch Number: 538901527-Bc68
Ticket Number: 27522465896-6453
1. Full names.
2. Phone number.
3. Fax number.
4. Occupation.
5. Sex.
6. Age.
7. Nationality.

Remember all winning must be claimed before 27Th 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. 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.

Yours Faithfully,
MR. NEWTON GREEN
INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY (COORDINATOR)

P.S: Anybody under the age of 18 is automatically disqualified. Any breach of confidentiality on the part of the winner will result to disqualification and render the result void. Contact your claims/fiducially Promotion Manager (MR JOHN SMITH)Your winning prize has been assigned to him for processing.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam