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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "foreign service manager" (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.
  • +34657197922 (Spain, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • preciosbonos@zwallet.com
  • fortunatrust@excite.com

Fraud email example:

From: "PRECIOS BONOS LOTTO S.A" <info-preciosbonos@zwallet.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2005 14:43:41 +0100
Subject: Your prize Award Notification-Congratulation!!!


PRECIOS BONOS INTERNATIONAL LOTTO S.A
FROM:GOVERNMENT ACCREDITED LICENSED LOTTERY PROMOTERS.
CALLE ANTONIO 4B 12001,MADRID-SPAIN.
TELL:+34 657 197 922
FAX: +34 940 467 585
Email:info-preciosbonos@zwallet.com

FROM THE DESK OF THE MANAGING DIRECTORINTERNATIONAL PROMOTION/PRIZE AWARD DEPT.
REF/EG/AZXOO901/05
BATCH/7593730XZZ

RE:BONUS LOTTERY PROMOTION PRIZE AWARDS WINNING NOTIFICATION

Dear Lucky Winner,

We are pleased to inform you of the result of the just concluded final draws of PRECIOS BONOS INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY AWARD held on the 29th October,2005. The online cyber lotto draws was conducted from an exclusive list of 25,000 e-mail addresses of individual and corporate bodies picked by an advanced automated random computer search from the internet in appreciation of our annual summer visitors to Spain. No tickets were sold.

Your name attached to the ticket number 0887656-2320-6478-DD4 with serial number 1056823-748290 drew the lucky numbers HHZ--15036--63892 which consequently won the lottery in the 3rd category.

After this automated computer ballot, your e-mail address emerged as one of two winners in the category "B" with the following:
You as well as the other winner are therefore to receive a cash prize of 1,800,809:00 ( One Million, Eight Hundred Thousand, Eight Hundred And Nine Euros Only) each from the total payout prize.

Your prize awards has been insured with your e-mail address pending when your full names and address will be known to us, and thereafter,your winning fund will be transfered to you upon meeting our requirements, statutory obligations, verifications, validations and satisfactory report.

To begin your claim,please contact below your claim agent the foreign service manager of FORTRUST SEGURIDAD S.A
Tel:+34 675 165 960(DIRECT)
Fax:+34 940 467 285(EXT 3)
Email:admin-fortunatrust@excite.com
Sir. Antonio Odermatt(International Funds Manager)

And also be informed that 10% of your lottery winning belongs to (KARISMA PROMOTION COMPANY S,A.) Because they are the company that bought your ticket and played the lottery on your name, NOTE this 10% will be remitted after you have received your winnings prize because the money is insured in your name already.

NOTE: All winnings must be claimed not later than the 29th December,2005. After this date, all unclaimed funds will be included in the next stake. Remember to quote your reference information in all correspondences. You are to keep all lottery informations away from the general public especially your reference and ticket numbers. This is important as a case of double claims will not be entertained.

Congratulations!!!

Yours faithfully,
Oscar Raul .

HURRICANE VICTIMS NEED YOUR HELPNOW.CALL 1-800-HELP OR VISIT www.Redcross.org

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam