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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "million british pounds" (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)
• 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!

Fraud email example:

From: mark holdings <mark_holding27@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 8 Oct 2007 12:09:43 +0200
Subject: YOU HAVE WON A LOTTERY



REDDOT PROMOTIONSBZ/GP004 ONLINE DRAWOUR REF:#457UCRP65REF CODE : 677763
AWARD WINNING NOTIFICATION
We are pleased to inform you of the result of the just concluded annual final draws held on (7th october, 2007) by Mark Holdings in conjunction with the Reddot Promotion, your email was among the 3 Lucky winners who won £1,000,000:00(One Million British Pounds) each on the THE REDDOT COMPANY PROMOTION.
However the results were released on (8th october, 2007) and your email was attached to ticket number (7PWYZ2007) and ballot number (BT: 12052007/20) The online draws was conducted by a random selection of email addresses from an exclusive list of 29,031 E-mail addresses of individuals and corporate bodies picked by an advanced automated random computer search from the internet. However, no tickets were sold but all email addresses were assigned to different ticket numbers for representation and privacy.
The selection process was carried out through random selection in our computerized email selection machine (TOPAZ) from a database of over 250,000 email addresses drawn from all the continents of the world.
This Lottery is approved by the British and south africa Gaming Board and also licensed by The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR). This lottery is the 3rd of its kind and we intend to sensitize the public. In other to claim your £1,000,000; 00 prize winning, which has been deposited in the Bank. However, you will have to fill the form below and send it to the claim manager of THE REDDOT COMPANY for verification and then you will be directed on how to claim your £1,000,000:00 which has already been deposited in the Bank in your favour.
FIRST NAME:............................ LAST NAME:.............................AGE:...................................SEX:...................................ADDRESS:......................................................EMAIL:.................................... PHONE:..................................................OCCUPATION:......................................COMPANY:.........................................COUNTRY:.............................. AMOUNT WON......................................

Please you are advised to complete the information above and send it immediately to our claim manager through email for prompt collection of your fund.Contact the Claim Manager immediately via:
Name: Mr.Owen DouglasE-mail: owen_540douglas@yahoo.co.ukWebsite: http://en.red-dot.org/newgallery/page.php?id=48&lang=en

You are to keep all lotto information away from the general public especially your ticket number and ballot number. (This is important, as a case of double claims will not be entertained). Staffs of Mark holdings and the Reddot Design Company are not to partake in this Lottery.
Accept my hearty congratulations once again!
Yours faithfully,
Ms Elizabeth Martins Promotion Manager
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam