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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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "united state of america" (this email uses bad English)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• 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 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.
  • mr.brightdestiny38@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: ahmedkurutum1@freenet.de
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:41:30 +0200
Subject: UNCLAIMED LOTTO PRIZE PAYMENT NOTICE.


INTERNATIONAL LOTTO ORGANIZATION
Juan Southern portion De Mencosea 6E
21022,
Cotonou Republic Du Benin

UNCLAIMED LOTTO PRIZE PAYMENT
NOTICE.

ATTENTION TO THE OWNER OF THIS EMAIL ADDRESS;

Winner in the
2nd category of our Euroafric free Net Lottery Promotional award draws
held February 2007.

I am writing in respect to your lottowinning prize
of $1.200, 000.00m [One Million Two Hundred ThousandthUnited State of
America Dollars Only] which you won through the emailballot draws in our
Euroafric Lotto Award in 2007 in the secondcategory prize winnings crate
gory.

We wish to inform you that your totalprize money of $1.200,
000.00m has been returned to us by our Lottoclaims agent as unclaimed
prize after their initial letter to youraddress for your payment was not
successful.

You are here by requested to contactour Treasury Office on
telephone 2299 3571 129 or 002299 3571 129 andalso through
e-mail:(mr.brightdestiny38@yahoo.fr) for your immediatepayment, Our
Treasury officer\'s Name is Mr.BRIGHT DESTINY, so referthis to him
immediately for the immediate payment of your unclaimedlotto prize
payment to you.

You should contact our TreasuryOfficer as directed
above for your payment, and do notify me as soon asyou received your
payment from our Treasurer.

Thanks,
Mrs. Serina Gomez.
President;
Int\'l Lotto Org.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam