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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
• 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.
  • +447031904869 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "UK Lottery Promotions" <uklotterypromotions12@msn.com>
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 00:46:20 +0000
Subject: winning notification


BRITISH LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL

CUSTOMER SERVICE



British Lottery International
Headquarters: 60 Merriman Road
Blackheath London SE3 8RZ
England.

Ref. Number: BTL/491OXI/04
Batch Number: 12/25/0304
Ticket Number: 564 75600545-188
Serial Number: 5388/02

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are pleased to inform you of the result of the Winners in our British
International Lottery Program held on the 23rd of September, 2005. Your
e-mail address attached to ticket number 564 75600545-188 with serial number
5388/02 drew lucky numbers 7-14-18-31-45, which consequently won in the 2ND
category, you have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of
USD2,500,000 (Two Million, five hundred thousand dollars). CONGRATULATIONS!

Due to mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep your winning
information confidential until your claims have been fully processed and
your money remitted to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid
multiple claims and unwarranted abuse of this program by some participants.
All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from
over 20,000 company and 30,000,000 individual email addresses and names from
all over the world. This promotional program takes place every five years.

This lottery was promoted and sponsored by a conglomerate of some
multinational companies in Europe as part of their social responsibility to
the citizens. This year Lottery Program Jackpot is the largest ever for
British Lottery. The estimated $125 million jackpot would be the sixth
biggest in U.K. history. The biggest was the $363 million jackpot that went
to two winners in a May 2000 drawing of The Big Game, Mega Millions'
predecessor. To file for your claim, please contact our director of
finance.

Dr.Rex Mcarthy,
Tel: +447031904869
Fax:+447092863632
Email: dr_rexmcarthyclaimsoffice@msn.com


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam