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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!
  
• How to report 419 spam to us
• 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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "uk national lottery" (can only win this lottery if you bought a ticket)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "million united states dollars" (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)
  • ",000,000" (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.
  • +447045753076 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +448704788161 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "Eric Hills" <erihills@googlemail.com>
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:53:57 +0400
Subject: URGENT INFORMATION


Ref. Number: 678-001028
Batch Number: 67BG-GTA/06

Attn:Winner,
We wish to congratulate you over your email address success in our computer
balloting sweepstakes held on 27th June 2008. This is a millennium
scientific computer game in which email addresses were used. It is a
promotional program aimed at encouraging internet users; therefore you do
not need to buy ticket to enter for it

Your e-mail address attached to ticket number 27511465896-6410 with Serial
Number 4204-777 Drew lucky numbers 5-21-23-34-61-72 which consequently Won
in the 1st category, you have therefore been approved to claim a total sum
of $1,000,000:00 (One Million United States Dollars Only) in cash credited
to file UK/012006/0123.< BR> This is from a total cash prize of
$16,000,000: shared amongst the first four (16) lucky winners in this
category i.e. Match 5 plus bonus.


Your winning prize has been insured in your name and is ready for claims. To
begin your claims therefore, you are advised to expeditiously contact our
licensed and accredited claim agent listed below between the hours of
10.00am - 4.30pm GMT Monday - Friday for the processing of your winning and
payout after all statutory obligations have been satisfactorily dispensed
with. You are hereby advice to contact the Lotto Claims Processing Agency
Mr.Eric Hills (Email: romanhido@live.com) for your price.

EPS Finance International
Lotto Claims Processing Agency
Contact Person: Mr.Eric Hills
Email: romanhido@live.com
Telephone; +44-704-575-3076 (8AM to 4PM London Time Monday to Friday)
Fax; +44-870-478-8161

You must be 16 or over to play or claim a prize

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Important Notice: Your Email address and winning information were provided
by INTERNET AND EMAIL CENSORS ASSOCIATION. UK National Lottery accepts no
blame for any unwarranted use of email addresses, therefore all blames,
complaints should be directed to the INTERNET AND EMAIL CENSORS ASSOCIATION

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam