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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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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:

• The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "australian lottery" (can only win this lottery if you bought a ticket)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "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)
  • "international remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • +22998668178 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2008 08:42:25 +0100
Subject: GOOD DAY TO YOU


* UNI,24 HIGHER AVENUE
HARRIS PARK *
*
GRANVILLE
NSW 0152 SYDNEY

AUSTRALIA.

*
*DEAR WINNER,
*
**
*
Ref: 475061725 *
* Batch: 7056490902/18 *
* Winning no: GB8701/LPRC
CONGRATULATIONS!!

*
*Dear Sir/Madam,

We are delighted to inform you of your prize release on the 25th Octo*ber *
2008, from the Australian Lottery program.

This is a bonus to promote lotto in australia Which is fully based on an
electronic selection of winners using their e-mail addresses form some site.
*

*Your email address was attached to ticket number; 47061725
07056490902serial number
7741137002 This batch draws the luc ky numbers as follows
5-13-33-37-42bonus number17,which consequently won the lotto in the second
category.

You here by have been approved a lump sum pay of US$200,000.00 (TWO HUNDRED
THOUSAND DOLLARS) in cash credit file ref: ILP/HW 47509/02 from the total
cash prize shared amongst eight lucky winners in this category.

All participant were selected through a computer balloting system drawn
form Nine hundred thousand E-mail addresses from
Canada,Australia,United States, Asia, Europe, Middle East,Africa and
Oceaniaas part of our international promotions program which is
conducted annually.
*

*This Lottery was promoted and sponsored by a conglomerate of some
multinational companies as part of their social responsibility to the
citizens in the communities where they have operational base.

Further more your details (e-mail address) falls within our European
representative office in Amsterdam, Holland, as indicated in your play
coupon and your prize of US$200,000.00 will be released to you from this
regional branch office in BENIN REPUBLIC COTONOU.

We hope with part of your prize, you will participate in our end of year
high stakes for US$1.3 Billion international draw.

HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE: Simply contact our fiducially
your paying bank(OCEANIC BANK BENIN PLC) E-mail address*
oceanicb_beninplc@live.fr *! to file for your claim .

Please quote your reference,batch and winning number which can be found on
the top left corner of this notification as well as your full name, address
and telephone number to help locate your file easily.

For security reasons, we advice all winners to keep this information
confidential from the public until your claim is processed and your prize
released to you.*

*This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and
unwarranted taking advantage of this program by non-participant or
unofficial personnel.

Note, all winnings MUST be claimed before the end of this programme;
otherwise all funds will be returned as Unclaimed and eventually donated to
charity organizations.

AUSTRALIA LOTTERIES WINNER APPLICATION FORM OF PAYMENT. * *THIS FORM IS TO
ENABLE THE BANK HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRIZE WINNER.
FILL IT AND SEND TO THE PAYING BANK FOR YOUR DOCUMENTATION OF CLAIM..

ATTENTION!!!

FULL NAME...........................

BIRTH DATE.........................

ADDRESS............................

SEX................................

NATIONALITY........................

OCCUPATION.........................

TELEPHONE..........................

EMAIL..............................

DATE...............................

WINNING NO.........................

REFERENCE NO.......................

BATCH NO............................


(APPROVED FOR PAYMENT)*
**
*YOU ARE TO FOLLOW BANK PROCEDURES AND YOU WILL GET YOUR PRIZE MONEY WITHIN
48 WORKING HOURS. CONTACT THE BANK THEY WILL GIVE YOU AN OPTION FOR YOU TO
SELECT ON HOW YOU WANT THEM TO TRANSFER YOUR PRIZE.*
*
YOU ARE TO WRITE AN APPLICATION LETTER AND SUBMIT SCANNED COPY OF YOUR
INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENSE, IDENTITY CARD OR INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT TO
THE BANK VIA E-MAIL FOR THE TRANSFER OF YOUR MONEY.
*
*YOU ARE TO USE THE INFORMATION BELOW TO CONTACT THE PAYING BANK...

BANK CONTACT PERSON:*
*DR.Atiku Bello. Executive Director *
*(Corporate and International Banking Remittance).
OCEANIC BANK BENIN PLC
INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT
OCEANIC BANK PLAZA #1 BANK ROAD*
*CALAVI UNITY*
*BANK CONTACT E-MAIL ADDRES*
*E-MAIL oceanicb_beninplc@live.fr
BANK TEL:+229 98668178. *
*(INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT)
*
***


Yours faithfully,
Carol Sweet
Online coordinator for
AUSTRALIAN LOTTO PROGRAMME,
Sweepstakes International Program.*

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam