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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "british lottery international" (no such lottery exists)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "foreign service manager" (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.
  • +447092814624 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +447024079508 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • johbriann@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mrs.Mercy baker" <mercy.bak8@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <johbriann@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:33:24 +0200
Subject: BRITISH LOTTO COMMISSION


BRITISH LOTTO COMMISSION




CONGRATULATIONS!!!
BRITISH LOTTO COMMISSION (AFFILIATED WITH NATIONAL INSURANCE) P.M.B 1975 VICTORIA, CENTRAL LONDON ENGLAND. Tel/Fax: +44-709-2814624 FROM: THE DESK OF MANAGING DIRECTOR CLAIM FILE NUMBER: EG/008045160027.APL/30 BATCH NUMBER: 100000488

RE: AWARD NOTIFICATION FINAL NOTICE

We are pleased to inform you today, 15th day of October 2007, of the release of the BRITISH LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM Held on the 20th May 2007. Your email attached to the ticket number 025-11-464-992-750 with serial number 2113-05 drew the lucky numbers 13-15-16-21-34-36, which consequently won the lottery in the 3rd category. You have therefore been approved for a lump Sum Pay of $815, 950.00 (EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN THOUSAND, NINE HUNDRED AND FIFTY UNITED STATES DOLLARS ONLY) In Cash Credited To File REF NO: EG/008045160027.NOV/03. This Is From A Total Cash Prize of $25,756.820.00 (TWENTY FIVE MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY SIX THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED AND TWENTY DOLLARS ONLY) Shared Among eleven International winners In This Category. CONGRATULATIONS! Your fund is now deposited with a finance company insured to your email, due to mixed up of Some numbers and names we ask that you keep this award top secret from public notice until your claim has been processed and your money remitted to your account as this is part of our protocol to avoid double claiming or unwarranted taking of an advantage of this program by participants. All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from 25,000 names from Europe, America, Asia, Australian and Africa as part of our international promotions program, which we conduct twice every year.
We hope with a part of your prize you will take part in our next high stake USD 1 .3 BILLION INTERNATIONAL. LOTTERY. To begin your claim, please contact your claim agent,
DR. John Brian the Foreign Service manager of UNION SECURITY COMPANY. On
Tel: 44-702-4079508
44-703-1842538
Fax: 44-709-2895128
Email: johbriann@gmail.com

for processing and remittance of your prize money to your designated account. Remember all prize money must be claimed not latter than 30th of December2007. After this date, all funds will be returned to the Ministerio De economiay Hacienda as unclaimed. NOTE: In order to avoid unnecessary delay and complications, please remember to quote your reference and batch numbers in every of your correspondence with us or your agent, furthermore, should there be any change of address, Do notify your claims agent as soon as possible.Congratulations again from all members of our staff and thank you for being a part of our promotion program.

Sincerely Yours,Mrs. Mercy BakerCo-ordinator
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam