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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
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• 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 office" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • ",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)
• 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.
  • +447031818891 (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.
  • bryan_smith09@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Bryan Smith" <ade@millsterltd.com>
Reply-To: bryan_smith02@yahoo.com
Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:30:48 +0000
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS **YOU ARE A WINNER**




THE FREE LOTTO COMPANY
UK HEAD OFFICE
26 HAMILTON ROAD
CENTRAL LONDON
ENGLAND


Dear Winner,

We are please to announce you as one of the 10 lucky winners in the FreeLotto draw held on the 1st of august 2008. All 10 winning addresses were randomly selected from a batch of 50,000,000 international emails.Your email address emerged alongside 9 others as a category 2 winner in this year's Annual FreeLotto Draw.

Consequently,you have therefore been approved for a total pay out of 25,000 pounds (twenty five thousand pounds) only.The following particulars are attached to your lotto payment order:

(i) winning numbers: 46-13-29-45-23-19
(ii) email ticket number: FL754/54/86
(iii) lotto code number: FL03542UK
(iv) the file Ref number: FL/04/280649035/UK

Please contact the underlisted claims officer as soon as possible for the immediate release of your winnings:

Mr. Bryan Smith
TEL: +447031818891
email: bryan_smith09@yahoo.com

N.B:Steps to claiming your prize;

1.Winners must pay 250 pounds only or its equivalent in your local currency as fee before claiming their prize for the processing and handling of award by agent.

2.Please quote your Reference number in all correspondence with the claims officer.

3.Winners should send to claim officer account detail or address
where they want their prize paid or sent.

4.Winners must send thier names,address,telephone number
and means of identification (international passport or drivers
licence)to claim officer, via email or fax, to process the immediate payment of your prize.

Once again on behalf of all our staff, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Sincerely,
Bryan Smith.
Promotions Manager
Freelotto Company, UK.
UK & Europe.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam