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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:
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• 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!
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • +447031996908 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • chevroclaimsagent@yahoo.com.hk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "CHEVRON PROMO 2008" <info@chevro.com>
Reply-To: <chevroclaimsagent@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2008 22:52:49 -0600
Subject: Dear Lottery Winner


Dear Lottery Winner,

We are pleased to inform you of the result of CHEVRON OIL/PETROLUEM END OF
YEAR PROMO which just conclude their annual final draws of THE CHEVRON
OIL/PETROLUEM PROMO.international programs.The selection process was
carried out through random selection in our computerized email selection
machine (TOPAZ) from a database of over 500,000 email addresses drawn from
all the continents of the world and your e-mail address emerged as one of
thelucky winners in the category \"A\"You are therefore been approve to
claim the sum of £850,000,00 POUNDS (Eight Hundred And Fifty Thousand
Pounds
Sterling).

To claim your prizes contact the appointed agent with your winning
Information.However,no tickets were sold but all email addresses were
assigned to different ticket numbers for representation and privacy.

You are required to send the below details to the PROMOTION MANAGER.

Winning Batch No: (CWL/2008/WRT)
Reference No:(CWL/LTYW31Q)
Winning number...YM09788
======================
FULL NAMES:____
ADDRESS: ______
STATE/CITY: ____
COUNTRY_____
AGE/SEX:____
MARITAL STATUS:____
OCCUPATION:__________
TELEPHONE NUMBER:____
========================

(CONTACT PROMOTION MANAGER)
Name: BARRISTER GEORGE.M.COLE
Tel: +447031996908
E mail:chevroclaimsagent@yahoo.com.hk


You are to respond to this notice so that we will confirm if this
emailaddress still truly exists.


Yours faithfully,
Mrs. Kate Walter
Online Co-ordinator Chevron lottery 2008

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam