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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 phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "hundred thousand united states dollars" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
  • "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
• 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: Mr Martin Vusi <vusi_martin13@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <martin_vusi@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:20:09 +0200
Subject: AWARD NOTIFICATION FINAL NOTICE.



ATTENTION: EMAIL OWNER. AWARD NOTIFICATION FINAL NOTICE. We are pleased to inform you of the release of January, 2008 of the result of the sweepstake WORLD INTERNET LOTTERY Int.promotion programs. Your name attached to the ticket number 033-20737-750 with serial number 033-05 drew the lucky number 13-15-16-21-34-36 which consequently won lottery in the 2nd category. You are therefore been approved for a lump sum of US$800,000.00 (Eight Hundred Thousand United states dollars) in cash credited to the file Nº EG/033-20737-750/05/06/03. This is from the total cash prize of US$23,800,000.00 twenty-three million eight hundred thousand United states dollars, shared among seventeen international winners in this category. Your fund is secured under a comprehensive insurance policy in your name, which permits nobody or group of persons to subtract from it. Due to mixed up of some numbers and names. We ask that you keep this award top secrete from public notice until your claims has been processed and your money remitted to your nominated account. As this is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unwarranted taking of advantage of this program by participants. All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from 25,000 names, from all over the world as a part of our International promotion program which we conduct twice every year. We hope that, with a part of your prize you will take part in our end of the year high stake US$1.3bn lottery. To avoid scam, please contact only your assigned agent below. You won this lottery because you subscribed online. Some names were selected via the net and lottery was played on their behalf to mark world Internet day. This is part of the program to promote Internet in the world. To begin your claim, please contact your claim agent.MR JOHN KAJA OF BRUCE AGENCY & CONSULTING(PTY) SOUTH AFRICA TEL.NUMBER + 27-73-200-3482 E.MAIL: johnkaja40@hotmail.comHe will guide and assist you in processing and remittance of your money to a designated account of your choice. You are advised to send the following information to your Claims Agentto facilitate the release of your fund to you.1. Full name.........................................................................................2. Country...........................................................................................3. Contact Address...............................................................................4. Telephone Number...........................................................................5. fax Number(if any)......................................................................................6. Marital Status....................................................................................7. Occupation.......................................................................................8. Date of birth.....................................................................................9. Gender................................................................................................. Remember all prize money must be claimed not later than 6 weeks from the date of this notice after this date all funds will be returned to the ministerio de economia hacienda as unclaimed. Note in order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please quote your ref. and batch nos. in every correspondence with your agent. Furthermore, should there be any change of address, do please inform your claims agent as soon as possible. Congratulations again from all members of staff and thank you for being a part of our promotions program. Yours Sincerely MR Martin Vusi.
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam