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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:
  • "clearance certificate" (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. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • ",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)
  • "courier service" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "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!
• 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.
  • +2348074119920 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "M.T.N. CASH WINNER " <falconec@isd.wol.net.pk>
Reply-To: fedex.courier.service@live.com
Date: Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:22:33 +0000
Subject: {Spam?}


Attention: Recipient,
The MTN Foundation Donations, would like to notify you that you have been chosen by the board of trustees as one of the year end recipients of a Grant/Donation cash aid of US $850,000.00 (eight hundred and fifty thousand United states Dollars) as charity donations/aid from the MTN Foundation.
The online draws was carried out through random sampling in our computerized E-mail selection machine from a database of over 1,000,000 E-mail addresses drawn from all the continents of the world. This is to encourage our prominent Microsoft Internet Explorer users all over the world and for the Continuing use of E-mail facilities.
Since the draws was conducted through zonal batching of the emails sampled,and the globe was divided into Zones,You are hereby notified that your winning falls under West Africa Zone,and hence you are to be paid by our West Africa Payment Center.
The MTN Foundation Donation, established 1977 by the Multi-Million groups and now supported by United Nations Organization (UNO) and the European Union (EU),is conceived with the objective of human growth, educational, and community development thereby uplifting the standard of living of people.
How ever, your winning prize as been deposited the Draft with FEDEX COURIER SERVICE, West Africa, What you have to do now is to contact the FEDEX COURIER SERVICE as soon as possible to know when they will deliver your package to you because of the expiring date. For your
information, we have paid for the delivering Charge, Insurance premium and Clearance
Certificate Fee of the Cheque showing that it is not a Drug Money or meant to sponsor Terrorist
attack in your Country.
The only money you will send to the FEDEX COURIER SERVICE to deliver your Draft direct to
your postal Address in your country is $120.00 US Dollars.and only being Security Keeping Fee of the Courier Company so far. Again, don't be deceived by anybody to pay any other money except the $120.00US Dollars.
we would have paid that but they said no because they don't know when you will contact them and in case of demurrage.You have to contact the FEDEX COURIER SERVICE now for the delivery of your Draft send your contact informations to the delivery company for instant delivery,
Mr. Daniel J.Cole
Email Address: fedex.courier.service@live.com
Telephone:+(234) 8074119920
Finally, make sure that you reconfirm your Postal address() and Direct telephone number
to them again to avoid any mistake on the Delivery and ask them to give you the tracking number to enable you track your package over there and know when it will get to your address.
Let me repeat again, try to contact them as soon as you receive this mail to avoid any
further delay and remember to pay them their Security Keeping fee of $120.00 US Dollars for their immediate action. You should also let me know through email as soon as you receive your Draft.
Yours Faithfully,
Mr.Harry Martins





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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam