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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
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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.

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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")
  • "hundred thousand united states dollars" (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)
  • ",500,000" (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)
  • "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 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.
  • +31617639272 (Netherlands, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: peter_davis2008@live.co.uk
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:13:19 +0100
Subject: AWARD WINNING NOTICE




AWARD WINNING NOTICE Ref No.77/324/113 Batch No.626 8/41903734
Ticket/Series No.JV07220 Amount Won: $2,500,000.00 USD Attn:
Internet User, This is to formally inform and congratulate you on the
result of the online cyber lotto which was conducted from an exclusive
list of 1,000.000 email addresses of individual and corporate bodies
selected by an advanced automated random computer ballot system from
the internet. Your e-mail address emerged as a winner in the category
"A" with the following information enclosed. You are therefore to
receive a cash prize of $2,500,000.00. (Two Million Five Hundred
Thousand United States Dollars). To file in for the processing of your
prize winnings, you are advised to contact our Certified and
Accredited claims agent for category "A" winners with the information
below: ************************************* MR. PETER VAN DAVIS
Phone: 0031-617-639-272 Fax: 0031-847-181-615 EMAIL:
petervandavis_2008@live.co.uk
*************************************
You are advice to provide him with the following information and a
copy of your international passport or driver's license via email
attachment or by fax for vetting process which is a standard practice
just to ensure that we are dealing with the right individual. Names:
Telephone/Fax number: Nationality: Age: Occupation: Winning Email:
NOTE: Ensure to quote your Reference Numbers in all your communication
with your claims agent. All winnings must be claimed not later than
seven working days, thereafter unclaimed funds would be included in
the next stake. Sincerely Yours, Mrs. Yvonne Connie Zwanette
Promoter.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam