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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!
  
• How to report 419 spam to us
• 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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claims office" (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!

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Date: Sat, 08 Nov 2008 13:42:24 +0000
Subject: YOUR EMAIL WAS SELECTED

Dear Winner,
Your ticket number: 023-0148-790-459 with Serial number 5368/05 drew the
lucky number: 29 .We are pleased to notify you that your email address emerged
as a winner in our promotional lotto sweepstakes and as a result you have been
granted the lump sum payout of (750.000.00(G.B.P) .Contact your claims officer
below for your claims/winnings.FINANCIAL CONTROLLER:ADAMS OWENS
Email:owensdept@live.com you are to forward the following details to enable us
clear your file for immediate payment:

1. Full Names:
2. Address: 3. Age:
4. Sex: 5. Marital Status:
6. Occupation: 7. Phone numbers:
8. Fax number: 9. Country:
Sincerely,
Mr:Andy Benson
FREE LOTTO ONLINE DIRECTOR
UNITED KINGDOM.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam