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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:

• 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:
  • "million pounds" (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)
  • "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.
  • +447031864854 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +448715033586 (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.
  • uk_plo01@yahoo.com.hk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "=?gb2312?B?dGlhbmppbg==?=" <tianjin@chiaofeng.com.cn>
Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 0:42:58 +0800
Subject: =?gb2312?B?VUsgR0FNQkxJTkcgQ09NTUlTU0lPTg==?=

UK GAMBLING COMMISSION
Victoria Square House
Birmingham B2 4BP
Ref:ZA/144132/1211
Batch: 22/523009/LHINT


ATTENTION

RE/ AWARD NOTIFICATION

We wish to inform you of the lottery draws held on the 29th of August 2008 to declare the winners of the UK GAMBLING COMMISSION. This lottery scheme was created to bring awareness to the world, being that United Kingdom is hosting the next Olympics in 2012.

Yourself, attached to Ticket number 356-00098-3211-222, with Serial number 818-09 drew the lucky numbers 67-99-777963, and consequently won the lottery through a computer ballot system and your email address was gotten through United Kingdom Information Network Online(U.K.I.N.O) which is affiliated with the internet.

You have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out in cash credited to file REF NO: .This is from total prize money of £20,000,000.00(Twenty Million Pounds Sterling) shared among the ten international winners in this category.

All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from 17,000 names from Australia, New Zealand, North America, South America, Europe and Middle East and Asia as part of our International Promotions Program, which is conducted monthly.

To begin your claim process, please contact your claims manager with details below and also provide him with the requested information so that he can Expedite the processing of your claims.

NAME:
.........................................
COUNTRY:
.........................................
ADDRESS:
.........................................
CITY:
.........................................
STATE/PROV:
.........................................
ZIP/POSTAL/CODE:
.........................................
CELL PHONE:
.........................................
OCCUPATION & AGE:
.........................................
EMAIL:
.........................................
REFERENCE NUMBER:
.........................................
BATCH NUMBER:
.........................................

Rev. Tom Jones
CPA On-line Ltd.
CPA House,London W6 0RX, (registered no.2096020)
Claims Verification Department.
Email:uk_plo01@yahoo.com.hk
TEL: +44 703 186 4854
Fax: +44 871 503 3586

To avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please quote your reference/batch numbers to any correspondences with us or our designated agent.

Congratulations once more from all members and staffs of this program.
Thank You for being part of our promotional lottery program.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Elizabeth Taylor

----

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam