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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:
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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:

• 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:
  • "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)
  • "i have a new email address!" (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
• 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 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.
  • m.obi14@yahoo.de (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: drmarkobi@live.com
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:04:52 +0530 (IST)
Subject: Goodday, U HAVE WON A COCA COLA PRIZE NOTIFICATION


I have a new email address!You can now email me at: rationsgmcopec@yahoo.in



- AM MR Robert smith , the Promotion Maneger THE COCA COLA COMPANY OFFICIAL PRIZE NOTIFICATION We are pleased to inform you of the result of the just concluded annual President Barack Obama the Coca Cola promotion final draws held on the(7th NOVERBER 2008) by Coca-Cola in conjunction with the British American Tobacco Worldwide Promotion, your email was among the 20 Lucky winners who won £ 500,000.00 each on the THE COCA COLA COMPANY PROMOTION. However the results were released on the (5th NOVERBER 2008) and your email was attached to ticket number (45HJK0) and ballot number(AQ01427/13) The online draws was conducted by a random selection of email addresses from an exclusive list of 22,031 E-mail addresses of individuals and corporate bodies picked by an advanced automated random computer search from the internet. However, no tickets were sold but all email addresses were assigned to different ticket numbers for representation and privacy. In other to claim your £ 500,000.00 prize winning,which has been deposited in a designated bank? However, you will have to fill the form below and send it to the Promotion manager of THE COCA COLA COMPANY for verification and then you will be directed to the courier company where a cheque of £500,000.00 has already been deposited in your favor. Name: MR Robert smith E MAIL:m.obi14@yahoo.de To avoid unnecessary delays and complications, you are to contact MR ANNE WINDY with followings details below: 1NAME:...2AGE:..3SEX:…4ADDRESS:…5PHONE:…6OCCUPATION:……7COUNTRY:……,Congratulations, once more from all members and staffs of this program. Thank you for being part of our promotional lottery program. Sincerely, MR Robert smith , STAMFORD BRIDGE ENGLAND. SW1V 3DW TEL:Tel/Fax: 00 44 704 5706 999

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam