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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "international lottery programme" (no such lottery exists)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "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 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.
  • agent_macario@mail.ru (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
  • agent_macarios@yahoo.com

Fraud email example:

From: "AUSTRALIAN LOTTERY INC" <lotteryprommotions2@pravda.ru>
Reply-To: austrai_claims@bk.ru
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:26:01 +0100
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!YOUR EMAIL HAS WON($400,000USD)AUSTRALIA LOTTERY


*DATE: 16/07/2008**
REFERENCE NO: 675161724
BATCH NO: 7050470902/126
WINNING NO: GB8102/LPRC

CONGRATULATIONS!!*

*Dear lucky winner!!*

*We are delighted to inform you of your prize which was released on the 1st
of July 2008, from the Australian International Lottery programme, which is
fully based on an electronic selection of winners using their e-mail
addresses from some sites. Your email address was attached to ticket number;
47001725 07056490108 and serial number 7741134002. This batch draws the
lucky numbers as follows 5-13-33-37-42 and bonus number 17, which
consequently won the lottery in the second category. You hereby have been
approved a lump sum pay of USD$400,000.00 (FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS) in
cash credit file ref: ILP/HW 47509/09 from the total cash prize shared
amongst eight lucky winners in this category. All participants were selected
through a computer balloting system drawn from Nine hundred thousand E-mail
addresses from Canada, Australia, United States, Asia, Europe, Middle East,
Africa and Oceania as part of our international promotion program which is
conducted annually. This Lottery 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 an
operational base. Furthermore, your details (e-mail address) falls within
our European representative office in Amsterdam, Holland and London as
indicated in your play coupon and your prize of US$400,000.00 will be
released to you from this regional branch office in LONDON. We hope that
with part of your prize, you will participate in our end of year high stakes
for US$1.3 Billion international draw. HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE: Simply
contact our fiducial agent, MRS MACARIO ANTON at
**agent_macario@mail.ru*<agent_macarios@yahoo.com>
* to file for your claim....Please quote your reference number, batch number
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 programme by
non-participants or unofficial personnel. Note, all winnings MUST be claimed
by the 31st of July 2008; otherwise all funds will be returned as Unclaimed
and eventually donated to charity organizations.**

PLEASE CONTACT AGENT MRS MACARIO ANTON, so that she will tell you on how you
will receive your winning prize.
Name: MRS MACARIO ANTON
Email:**agent_macario@mail.ru* <agent_macarios@yahoo.com>***

Any winner below the age of 18years is automatically disqualified!!*
*Congratulations once again on your winning!!!*

*Best Regards,**
Melvin Brown[DR]
( co-ordinator) *

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam