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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!
  
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• 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:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
• 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.
  • +447031841474 (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.
  • jamich.michael@googlemail.com
  • wl_ms2008@yahoo.co.uk
  • pt_am_20007@yahoo.co.uk

Fraud email example:

From: "daniel michael" <inspector.daniel.mich@googlemail.com>
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:02:40 +0200
Subject: Awards Center


*Awards Center* * TOLPITS LANE, WATFORD, HERTS WD18 9RN*
*UNITED KINGDOM*

* *
*This is to inform you that you have won a prize money of ONE MILLION TWO
HUNDRED AND EIGHTY NINE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FOUR BRITISH POUNDS
STERLIN (£1,289,184.00GBPounds .) for the month of FEB , 2008 Prize
promotion **which is organized by YAHOO AWARDS & WINDOWS LIVE.*

*YAHOO collects all the email addresses of the people that are active
online, among the millions that subscribed to Yahoo and Hotmail and few from
other e-mail providers. Six people are selected monthly to benefit from this
promotion and you are one of the Selected Winners.*

* ** PAYMENT OF PRIZE AND CLAIM
*
*Winners shall be paid in accordance with his/her Settlement Centre. Prize
Award must be claimed no later than 30 days from date of Draw Notification.
Any prize not claimed within this period will be forfeited.*
**
*Stated below are your identification numbers:
*
*BATCH NUMBER: MFI/06/APA-43658
REFERENCE NUMBER: 2006234522
PIN: 1206*

*These numbers fall within the United Kingdom Location file, you are
requested to contact our fiduciary agent in United Kingdom and send your
winning identification numbers to him;*
**
*Agent Name: Mr. James Michael.*
*Address : TOLPITS LANE, WATFORD, HERTS WD18 9RN.*
*E-Mail: jamich.michael@googlemail.com <wl_ms2008@yahoo.co.uk>
<pt_am_20007@yahoo.co.uk>)
**Tel: +44 703 184 1474 *
**
*You are advised to send the following information to your Claims Agent to
facilitate the release of your fund to you.*
**
*1. Full name...............................
2. Country..................................
3. Contact Address.....................
4. Telephone Number.................
5. fax Number............................
6. Marital Status.........................
7. Occupation.............................
8. My Date of birth......................
9. Sex.................................*
**
*Congratulations!! once again.*

*Yours in service,*
* * <http://www.lottolondon.com/index.php>* *
*
<http://mail.yahoo.com/config/login?/_javascript:ol%28%27http://mail.yahoo.com/config/login?/__javascript:olhttp://www.freelotto.com/offer.asp?offer%253d43761%2526amp;FID%253dfa7d27913658;%27%29;>
Dr. (Mr.) M Martins*
*--------------------------------*
*WARNING!
*
**
*Do not tell people about your Prize Award until your money is successfully
handed over to you to avoid disqualification that may arise from double
claim.

You may also receive similar e-mails from people potraying to be other
Organizations or Yahoo Inc. This is solely to collect your personal
information from you and lay claim over your winning. In event that you
receive any e-mail similar to the notification letter that was sent to you,
Kindly delete it from your mail box and give no further correspondence to
such person or body.*
**
*Yahoo shall not be held responsible for any loss of fund arising from the
above mentioned*
**

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam