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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!
  
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• 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:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "million united states dollars" (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)
  • ",000,000" (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.
  • +27866178727 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: Award Team <ardt5322@msn.com>
Reply-To: <timuk2008@live.com>
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:44:30 +0000
Subject: C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s !








SOUTH AFRICAN 2010 FIFA LOTTERY 2009Ref: EAASL/941OYI/04
Batch: 12/25/DC34 RE:LOTTO Dear Email User, SOUTH AFRICAN 2010 LOTTERY AWARD 2009 We wish to inform you that in the South Africa 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP online Sweepstakes International Program held in Zurich, Switzerland, Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 564 75600545 188 with Serial number 5388/02 drew the lucky numbers:(48)(31)(30) (25)(23) (20) Bonus ball (10), winning you a prize of $1,000,000.00 (One million United States Dollars)

To claim your prize, you are advised to immediately contact your Fiduciary Agent MR. TIMOTHY WILLIAMS with the following details to avoid unnecessary delays and complications:============================== ========================NAME (IN FULL): ADDRESS: NATIONALITY: SEX: AGE: PHONE/MOBILE: FAX: OCCUPATION: COMPANY: WINNING TICKET NO:
SERIAL NO::============================== ========================Contact your Fiduciary Agent via email immediately within 24hrs. You are obliged to donate 10% of your winning to any listed charity organization in Africa. Name: Mr. Timothy Williams
Services/Payment ManagerTel/Fax: + 27 86617 8727Email: timuk2008@live.com
Sincerely, Mrs. Geraldine Jordaan/ Announcement South AfricaMr. Alexandra Davis South Africa zonal Secretary General.****************************** ********************* ************

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam