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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "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)
• 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.
  • +447045776916 (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.
  • johnson_duke_23@yahoo.co.uk
  • johnson_duke_23@mailbox.hu

Fraud email example:

From: "lotto money" <lotto34@unimail.mn>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:43:55 +0100
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!!


COOL STREET
PAULGREENVULLE Ax34587,
AUSTRALIA.
Ref: 705062766
Batch: 6050490905/275
Winning no: GB8101/LPRC

CONGRATULATIONS!!
Dear Sir/Madam,

We are delighted to inform you of your prize release on the 9th of july.
2008, from the Australian Lotto incorporated program.This is a bonus to
promote lotto in australia Which is fully based on an electronic selection
of winners using their e-mail addresses form some site.

Your email address was attached to ticket number; 3300172507056490175 serial
number 8341134055 This batch draws the lucky numbers as follows
8-93-33-37-44 bonus number17,which consequently won the lotto in the second
category.

You here by have been approved a lump sum pay of £ 500,000.00 (FIVE HUNDRED
THOUSAND BRITISH POUNDS STERLINGS) in cash credit file ref: ILP/HW 43309/86
from the total cash prize shared amongst eight lucky winners in this
category. All participant were selected through a computer balloting system
drawn form Nine hundred thousand E-mail addresses from Canada,
Australia,United States, Asia, Europe, Middle East,Africa and Oceania as
part of our international promotions program which is conducted annually.

This Lotto was promoted and sponsored by a conglomerate of some
multinational companies as part of their social responsibility to the
citizens in the communities where they have operational base.

Further more your details (e-mail address) falls within our European
representative office in Amsterdam, Holland, as indicated in your play
coupon and your prize of £ 500,000.00 will be released to you from this
regional branch office in UNITED KINGDOM AND NIGERIA RESPECTIVELY.We hope
with part of your prize, you will participate in our end of year high stakes
for £ 1.3 Billion international draw.

HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE: Simply contact our fiducially agent,MR.JOHNSON
DUKEl E-mail address [johnson_duke_23@yahoo.co.uk or
johnson_duke_23@mailbox.hu] to file for your claim . contact him Monday to
Friday.Phone: +44 70457 76916 .

by filling this form below and send it to him to file for your claim .
LOTTERY WINNERS APPLICATION FORM OF PAYMENT.

FULLNAME.................................................
DATE OF BIRTH.........................................
ADDRESS...................................................
SEX..........................................................
AGE........................................................
NATIONALITY...........................................
AMOUNT WON............................................
OCCUPATION............................................
TELEPHONE.............................................
EMAIL.....................................................
DATE......................................................
WINNER REF/BATCH NO...........................APPROVED FOR
PAYMENT.

Please quote your reference,batch and winning number which can be found on
the top left corner of this notification as well as your full name, address
and telephone number to help locate your file easily. For security reasons,
we advice all winners to keep this information confidential from the public
until your claim is processed and your prize released to you.

This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and
unwarranted taking advantage of this program by non-participant or
unofficial personnel. Note, all winnings MUST be claimed by the 25th of july
2008; otherwise all funds will be returned as Unclaimed and eventually
donated to charity organizations.

Congratulations once again on your winnings!!! Best Regards Carol Sweet (co
ordinator) PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.CONTACT YOUR CLAIMS AGENT AT [
johnson_duke_23@yahoo.co.uk or johnson_duke_23@unimail.mn] ANY BREACH OF
CONFIDENTIALITY ON THE PART OF THE WINNERS WILL RESULT TO DISQUALIFICATION.

Carol sweet
Yours faithfully,
Carol Sweet

Online coordinator for AUSTRALIAN LOTTO PROGRAMME, Sweepstakes International
Program.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam