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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!
  
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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:
  • "claim agent" (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.
  • +447031893507 (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.
  • worldwilde_international_agent@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
  • donsmith_worldworld_agent_1@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Susan Robson" <susanrobson03@beehive.org>
Reply-To: worldwilde_international_agent@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:56:36 +0200
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS: YOU HAVE WON 2008 AWARDS!!!!!


YAHOO INTERNET AWARDS 2008 *Yahoo Awards Center
124 Stockport Road**, Longsight,
London M60 2DB
United Kingdom.*
* *
**
*Dear Email Owner,*
* *
* *
* CONGRATULATIONS!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!*
*
*
*This is to inform you that you have won a prize money of GBP800,000,00
British Pounds (Eight Hundred Thousand British Pounds). Only for the email
users this 2008 Prize promotion which is organized by YAHOO INTERNET AWARDS
2008.

Yahoo! Collects all the email addresses of the people that are active online
this 2008, among the millions that subscribed to Yahoo and few from other
e-mail providers. 12 people are selected monthly to benefit from this
promotion and you are one of the Selected Winners this month of JULY 2008.

PAYMENT OF PRIZE / CLAIMS

Winners shall be paid in accordance with their Settlement Centers. Yahoo
Prize Award must be claime d not less than 3Weeks from the date of Draw
Notification. Any prize not claimed within this period will be forfeited and
returned to its source as unclaimed Prize/Fund.

**STATED BELOW ARE YOUR IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS:
**BATCH NUMBER: MFI/07/APA-53659
REFERENCE NUMBER: 2008234523
FILE NUMBER: YAHOO/UK76-441/08

You are Advised to contact your Claim Agent with the below contact details
and forward your winning and personal identification numbers to him:

CLAIM AGENT NAME : MR DON SMITH** * * TEL : +44-703
1893507*
* +44-703 1893782*
*CONTACT E-MAIL: *worldwilde_international_agent@yahoo.com* *
*PERSONAL E-MAIL:
**donsmith_worldworld_agent_1@yahoo.com*<http://us.mc903.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=donsmith_worldworld_agent_1@yahoo.com>
* ** *

*You are advised to send the below following informations to your claim
agent to enable him facilitate the release of your fund to you by our Paying
Bank.

1. Your Full name:
2. Your Country:
3. Contact Address:
4. Telephone Number:
5. Fax Number:
6. Marital Status:
7. Occupation:
8. Sex:*
*9. Age:

Congratulations!!! Once again.

Yours in service,
Mrs Susan Robson. *
*(Awards Notification Officer)*

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam