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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 agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • ",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)
• 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.
  • +31647283937 (Netherlands, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2008 14:11:40 -0600
Subject: Winning Reference Number TYM-101/8231 (Your Email Won)



PRIZE/PROMOTION AWARD DEPT.
LOTTO NL.

CATEGORY "A" WINNER
Ref No: TYM-101/8231
Batch Number: NL 80 OS 94144448
Amount Won: $2,500,000.00

Dear Internet User

We are pleased to inform you of the result of the Lotto NL. Internet Promotional Draws. All email addresses entered for this promotional draws were randomly inputted from an internet resource database using the Synchronized Random Selection System (SRSS).

Your email address was selected in the Category "A" with Reference Number TYM-101/8231, and this qualifies you to be the recipient of the grand prize award sum of $2,500,000 (Two million, five hundred thousand dollars). The payout of this cash prize to you will be subject to the final validations and satisfactory report that you are the bonafide owner of the winning email address.
In line with the governing rules of claim, you are required to establish contact with your designated claims agent via email or telephone with the particulars below:

Name: Mr. David Berman
Phone: +31-647-283-937
Email: da_berman@live.nl


You are advised to call the Claims agent for confirmation or provide the following information for processing the payment of your cash award.

DATA PROFILE
Names:
Telephone/Fax number:
Nationality:
Age:
Occupation:
Winning Reference Number:

Failure to complete the claims of your cash prize after 14 days of this notice will result in the revision of award. Hence, you should commence your claims process immediately, by contacting the claims agent (Mr. David Berman) who would be guiding you through the Claims process.

Congratulations on your Winning Prize and we look forward to completing your payout soon.

Yours Faithfully,
Patrick Heery
Lottery Co-ordinator

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam