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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:
  • "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claims director" (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 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.
  • mr_ben_nelson@yahoo.com.hk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Yahoo! Promotions" <Yahoo@smtp3.adl2.internode.on.net>
Reply-To: mr_ben_nelson@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2007 01:50:23 -1200
Subject: Yahoo! Promotions

FROM: THE DESK OF THE PROMOTIONS MANAGER
INTERNATIONAL GRANTS/PRIZE AWARD DEPT
REF:YAHOO6/315116127/27
BATCH:15/623/UK.
Registered Lottery No 220949

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Dear Esteemed Winner,
We are pleased to inform you of the result of the YAHOO!
International Promotions Program held on the 10th of August
2007. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number
883734657492-5319 with serial number 7263-267, batch number
8254297137 drew the lucky numbers 14-22-28-37-40-44 which
consequently won in the 1st category, you have therefore
been approved for a lump sum pay out of £500,000.00 (i.e
Five Hundred Thousand United Kingdom Pounds) in cash
credited to file REF:YAHOO6/315116127/27. This is from total
prize money of US$20,400,000.00 shared among the seventeen
international winners in this category. The reason this
lottery was organized is to thank the numerous public
including users and non-users of YAHOO MAIL for the
financial benefits THE YAHOO CORPORATION have received as a
result of theirpatronage this financial year. To begin your
claims therefore, you are advised as a matter of urgency, to
contact the under listed licensed and accredited claims
agent for the p rocessing of your prize awards winning.
Please contact your claims agent immediately, to begin your
claims process:
MR BEN NELSON
REMMITANCE DIRECTOR
YAHOO PROMOTIONS UK
Email: mr_ben_nelson@yahoo.com.hk
You are to provide the assigned claims agent via email with
the underlisted information as soon as possible. Note that
it is mandatory you use the email of the claims director
above to send your response so that your email will be
attended to, if you click reply on this message you will not
get the response of your claims director, so you are
expected to carefully use the email address of the claims
director above to provide your requested information.
======================================================================
APPLICATION FOR PRIZE CLAIM
(Receipt Official Notification
Letter)
FULL NAMES*
CONTACT A DDRESS*
COUNTRY*
SEX*
AGE*
MARITAL STATUS*
OCCUPATION*
NATIONALITY*
TELEPHONE NUMBER*
EMAIL ADDRESS*
HAVE YOU A PASSPORT OR LICENCE (identification on delivery)*
TICKET NUMBER*
SERIAL NUMBER*
BATCH NUMBER*
REFERENCE NUMBER*

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. Amelia Hunts
Online Promotions Manager
Uk Administrative Unit.

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam