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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!
  
• How to report 419 spam to us
• 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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: Mr Mack Cole <m.cole1@strompost.com>
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 08:44:02 +1000
Subject: *****SPAM***** Notification Of Your International Bank Draft
=?iso-8859-1?b?rg==?=


Spam detection software, running on the system "srv2.abovomedia.nl", has
identified this incoming email as possible spam. The original message
has been attached to this so you can view it (if it isn't spam) or label
similar future email. If you have any questions, see
the administrator of that system for details.

Content preview: Dear Friend, How are you today? Hope all is well with you
and your family? I hope this mail meets you in a perfect condition. I am using
this opportunity to thank you for your great effort to our unfinished transfer
of fund into your account due to one reason or the other best known to you.
[...]

Content analysis details: (12.3 points, 5.0 required)

pts rule name description
---- ---------------------- --------------------------------------------------
1.8 MILLION_USD BODY: Talks about millions of dollars
2.7 DEAR_FRIEND BODY: Dear Friend? That's not very dear!
1.2 US_DOLLARS_3 BODY: Mentions millions of $ ($NN,NNN,NNN.NN)
1.8 MIME_QP_LONG_LINE RAW: Quoted-printable line longer than 76 chars
2.8 RCVD_IN_SBL RBL: Received via a relay in Spamhaus SBL
[82.128.20.165 listed in zen.spamhaus.org]
2.0 ADVANCE_FEE_2 Appears to be advance fee fraud (Nigerian 419)

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam