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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 phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claims 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!

Fraud email example:

From: ILS <verificationsunit@live.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:16:01 +0300
Subject: ATTN


We are pleased to announce the result of the Irish Sweepstakes
held on Saturday 19 July 2008. Your E-mail address drew the
lucky numbers:

02, 12, 19, 31, 40, 45, Bonus 05

Which subsequently won the jackpot. You have therefore been
approved to claim a total sum of 1,967,932 Euros.To file for
claim, fill the short questionnaire and contact our claims
agent on the details below:

1. Full Names:
2. Age:
3. Telephone Number:
4. Contact Address:

Mr.Brian
Email: verificationsunit@live.com

Sincerly,
Co-ordinator.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam