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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 phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "you are advice to " (this email uses bad English)
• 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.
  • ir.terrycole@hotmail.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: THE IRISH LOTTERY <info@irishlotto.org>
Reply-To: ir.terrycole@hotmail.co.uk
Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 01:08:52 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?CLAIM=20YOUR=20FUNDS=20OF=20=A3800,000=20GBP?=

11 G Lower Dorset Street
Dublin 1
Ireland
Batch Num: Batch: R3/A312-59
Ref Num: LSUK/2031/8161/05

This is to officially notify you that your
email address officially emerged and won
the sum of £800,000 GBP (Eight
Hundred thousand Pounds Sterling) in the
Online Irish Gaming Board Programme.

For more information on how to
redeem your prize, You are advice to
reply your claims agent with the
information below as soon as you
receive this notification.

NAME: Mr. Terry Cole
E-mail: IR.TERRYCOLE@HOTMAIL.CO.UK

INFORMATION FOR CLAIMS
1. Full Names:
2. Address:
3. Phone numbers:
4. Country:
5. Age:

(Promotions Co-ordinator)
Copyright © 2008 Irish National
Lottery Inc.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam