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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:

• 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:
  • "claims office" (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.
  • +447031825510 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +448715033770 (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.
  • oxford.prizeclaims@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: song12345@mchsi.com (OXFORD INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY)
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:38:27 +0000
Subject: Oxford 50th Anniversary Draws.

Ref No: OXS/812/07
Batch: 322056Q

Dear esteemed Beneficiary,

The Oxford Lottery Program would like to notify you that you have been chosen as
the full recipient of a cash Grant/Donation for your own personal, educational,
Working and business development to receive the sum of £1,000.000.00 (One
Million Great Britain Pounds)

The Oxford Lottery Organization established 1877 by the British Gambling Board
and now supported by European Union (EU). In accordance with the enabling act of
Parliament, Ten lucky beneficiaries email addresses were selected randomly from
a computer balloting system from over 100,000 internet websites around the
World. And your email Id was selected among the ten lucky beneficiaries to
receive the award sum of £1,000.000.00 (One Million Great Britain Pounds)
as charity donations/aid from the Oxford Lottery Program. No ticket were sold

Contact your allocated claims officer via email and telephone:
Dr. Dennis Robert
Tel:- +44-703-1825-510
Fax:- +44 871 503 3770
E-mail: oxford.prizeclaims@hotmail.com
Claims Processing Agent
Verifications/Logistics Department.


Sincerely,
Mrs. Carol David
(Lottery Co-ordinator)

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam