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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 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:
  • "money transfer control number" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. )
  • "tax clearance" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. )
  • "inland revenue board" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. )
  • "inland revenue board" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. )
  • "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!
• Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.

Fraud email example:

From: JANET MORGAN <taxrevenueoffice_2007@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2007 09:42:00 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Welcome to HM Revenue & Customs



THE INLAND REVENUE BOARD.
21 Wilson Street,
EC2M 2TD,UNITED KINGDOM.
Welcome to HM Revenue & Customs HMRC is responsible for collecting the bulk of tax revenue, as well as paying Tax Credits and Child Benefits, strengthening the UK's frontiers and winners of the UK NATIONAL LOTTERY.
ATTENTION,

A recall order has been placed on your winning Cheque by this board which hitherto was on transit.
REASON
Your failure to secure the Inland revenue board tax clearance which Authenticates and validates your winning as mandated by Inland revenue board Regulations of September 2006, which took effect from the 8th of April 2006. In light of this, you will be required to pay 320(Great Britain Pounds).
Note that your prize is protected by a hardcover insurance policy, which makes it impossible to deduct any amount from the money before it has been remitted to you. This means that the above charges cannot be deducted from the prize and hence must be provided by you before your prize is transferred to you. This is in accordance with section(13)1n of the national gambling acts adopted in 1993and amended on 3rd July 1996 by the constitutional assembly, this is to protect winners and to avoid misappropriation of funds .

You are required to make this payment via WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER in the name of our Accounts officer In London.

JIMMY LUCAS
21 Wilson Street,
EC2M 2TD,
UNITED KINGDOM.

The following payment information should be sent to this office via email.

RECEIVERS NAME......
NAME OF SENDER......
ADDRESS OF SENDER...
AMOUNT SENT.........
MONEY TRANSFER CONTROL NUMBER....

PLEASE ATTACH ANY FORM OF YOUR IDENTIFICATION.

YOURS FAITHFULLY
MRS JANET MORGAN
TAX OFFICER.




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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam