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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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• 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:
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "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)
  • "abuja" (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 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.
  • +2347030202068

Fraud email example:

From: "OFFICE OF THE SENATE HOUSE" <atmcard@hamdard.net.pk>
Reply-To: atm_claimsdept01@live.com
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2008 21:15:25 +0500
Subject: NOTIFICATION FROM ATM!!!


OFFICE OF THE SENATE HOUSE,
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA,
COMMITTEE ON ISSUING OF FOREIGN ATM CARD
2ND FLOOR, SENATE HOUSE,
WUSE 2, ABUJA, NIGERIA
E-mail:atm_claimsdept01@live.com
TEL::+2347030202068

Our Ref: FGM/SNT/STB

Congratulations as we bring to your notice, The Office of the senate
house of senate assembly has chosen you by the board of trustees as one
of the final recipients of this new year promotion cash
grant/Donation.We are giving out a yearly donation of The ATM Card Value
is $800,000.00 USD to 2 lucky recipients.
Fill out below information and send it to the claims agent Via their
email contact address:
Full Name:.... Residential Address:.....
Occupation:... Country:..........
Telephone:........
Fax Number:..... Age:......
Winning Batch No:W-342-8876,U-500-32)
Mr,Brown West.
E-mail: atm_claimsdept01@live.com

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam