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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:

• 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.
  • +27835224598 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: Windows Live <skosceldot@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <zakele.f@live.co.za>
Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2009 09:38:41 +0000
Subject: Congratulations!!!



Window live Award Promotions
Thames Valley, Reading Berkshire
RG6 1WG London, United Kingdom

Ref: BTD/977/07
Batch: 508878G

Dear Winner,
Your email address as indicated was drawn and attached to ticket number 008794717555 with serial numbers BTD/9080648333/07 and drew the lucky numbers 17-32-49-25-11-33(19) which subsequently won you £750,000.00 (Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Pounds) as one of the 5 jackpot winners in this draw. You have therefore won the entire sum of £750,000.00 (Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Pounds) the draws registered as Draw number one was conducted in Brockley, London United Kingdom on the 15th of January, 2009. These Draws are commemorative and as such special. It's particularly selected to promote the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and is sponsored by Hotmail live networks to compensate faithful internet users around the globe.

Please be informed by this winning notification, to file your claims, you are to make contact with your designated agent who shall by duty guide you through the process to facilitate the release of your prize. To file for your claim Please Contact your agency in the contact information below:

DELIVERY AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION:
WINDOWS LIVE ACCREDITED AGENCY
OFFICE ADDRESS: 27 Melrose 2071
Johannesburg, South Africa.
Tel\Fax: +27-83-522-4598
Email: zakele.f@live.co.za
Contact Person: Mr. Franklin Zakele

Regards,
Mrs. Anna Rodos
_________________________________________________________________
Windows Live™ Hotmail®…more than just e-mail.
http://windowslive.com/howitworks?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t2_hm_justgotbetter_howitworks_012009

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam