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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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• 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:

• 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.
  • +447045741152 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +448704714089 (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.
  • richardsmithrcr@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Coco, Samantha" <Samantha.Coco@vanguard.edu>
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 19:13:48 -0700
Subject: RE: AWARD FINAL NOTIFICATION

THE NATIONAL LOTTERY
P O BOX 1010 LIVERPOOL
L70 1NL UNITED KINGDOM
Fax :+(44) 870 4714089
FROM: THE PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS DEPT.
RE: AWARD FINAL NOTIFICATION:
CONGRATULATIONS
We are pleased to inform you again about our
LOTTERY BONANZA price won by you a week ago.
You have been approved to claim a total sum of
867,454.00(Eight Hundred and Sixty-Seven Thousand,Four
Hundred and Fifty-Four British Pounds Sterlings) Equivalent 1,709,426.20 USD
REF: XYL/26510460037/07,
Batch 24/00319/006/IPD.
All participants for the online version were
selected randomly from the

World Wide Web through a computer draw
system and extracted from over
100,000 unions, associations, and corporate
bodies that are listed online. Your e-mail address
attached to e-ticket number: 03- 15 -19-24-28-34(with
bonus ball 17)drew a prize of 867,454 British Pounds Sterlings per winner. This lucky
draw came first in the 2nd Category of the Sweepstake
Contact Our Claim Agent SIR RICHARD SMITH,
via below Email
Email: richardsmithrcr@hotmail.com
Phone: +44 70457 41152
with the Following
NAME:
ADDRESS:
AMOUNT WON:
EMAIL:
COUNTRY:
PHONE NUMBER
AGE:
OCCUPATION:
Congratulations in advance
Yours Faithfully,
Mrs. C. Samantha.
EmailCopyright (c) 2008

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam