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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
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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "urban lottery international"
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "million us 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)
• 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.
  • +22993138769 (Benin, probably a 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.
  • peter_argent@myway.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: paul_okosa1@zipmail.com.br
Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2006 16:57:24 +0200
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?ATTN=3A=20WINNER?=

FROM: THE DESK OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
PAUL OKOSA (URBAN LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL)
PRIZE AWARD DEPT

REF NO: 05/8755412
BATCH NO: EGS/ 987644329


ATTN: WINNER.


RE: AWARD NOTIFICATION, FINAL NOTICE.
WE ARE PLEASED TO INFORM YOU, THAT AS A RESULT OF OUR RECENT LOTTERY DRAWS
HELD EVERY YEAR . YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS ATTACHED TO TICKET NUMBER:085-12876077-09
WITH SERIAL NUMBER:51390-0 DREW LUCKY NUMBERS:(WFD6450089GILI ) WHICH CONSEQUENTLY
WON IN THE 5TH CATEGORY.YOU HAVE THEREFOREBEEN APPROVED FOR A LUMP SUM PAY
OF (ONE MILLION US DOLLARS ONLY) IN CASHCREDITED TO FILE WITH REF: º.EGS/3662367114/13.


NOTE THAT ALL PARTICIPANTS IN THIS LOTTERY PROGRAM HAVE BEEN SELECTED RANDOMLY
THROUGH A COMPUTER BALLOT SYSTEM DRAWN FROM OVER 20,000 OFFICIALS AND 30,000,000
INDIVIDUAL EMAIL ADDRESSES FROM ALL SEARCH ENGINES AND WEB SITES,FROM ASIA,
AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, EUROPE, NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA,MIDDLE EAST AND
AFRICA, AS PART OF OUR INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS PROGRAM.


THIS PROMOTIONAL PROGRAM TAKES PLACE EVERY YEAR,AND IS PROMOTED AND SPONSORED
BY EMINENT PERSONALITIES LIKE THE SULTAN OF BRUNEI,BILL GATES OF MICROSOFT
INC AND OTHER CORPORATE ORGANIZATIONS.


THIS IS TO ENCOURAGE THE USE OF THE INTERNET AND COMPUTERS WORLDWIDE AND
ALSO IMPROVE THE LEVEL OF EDUCATION WORLDWIDE. YOUR FUND IS NOW DEPOSITED
WITH ECO BANK AND INSURED IN YOUR NAME FOR SECURITY PURPOSE AND CLARITY,WE
ADVISE THAT YOU KEEP YOUR WINNING INFORMATION CONFIDENTIAL UNTIL YOUR CLAIMS
HAVE BEEN PROCESSED AND YOUR MONEY REMITTED TO YOUR ACCOUNT.THIS IS PART
OF OUR SECURITY PROTOCOL TO AVOID DOUBLE CLAIMS AND UNWARRANTED ABUSE OF
THIS PROGRAM BY SOME PARTICIPANTS.WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
IN OUR NEXT 4
MILLION DOLLARS SLOT.


TO BEGIN THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PRIZE YOU ARE TO CONTACT YOUR CLAIMS AGENT
THROUGH OUR ACCREDITED PRIZE TRANSFER AGENTS AS STATED BELOW:


MR. PETER ARGENT
TEL: +229-9313-8769
CALL HIM IMMEDIATELY WITH HIS ABOVE DIRECT PHONE
E MAIL: peter_argent@myway.com
E MAIL: peter_argent@myway.com


WHEN YOU CONTACT HIM, PLEASE PROVIDE HIM WITH YOUR
SECRET BATCH NO,SERIAL NO.YOU ARE ALSO ADVISED TO
PROVIDE YOUR CLAIM AGENT WITH THE UNDER LISTED INFORMATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
SEND IT TO HIS TWO EMAIL ADDRESSES BELOW,
E MAIL: peter_argent@myway.com
E MAIL: peter_argent@myway.com
1. NAME IN FULL
2. ADDRESS
3. NATIONALITY
4. AGE
5. OCCUPATION
6. PHONE/FAX


ALL WINNINGS MUST BE CLAIMED NOT LATER THAN ONE MONTH AFTER THE DATE OF
THIS NOTICE.PLEASE NOTE,IN ORDER TO AVOID UNNECESSARY DELAYS AND COMPLICATIONS,
REMEMBER TO QUOTE YOUR SERIAL NUMBER AND BATCH NUMBERS IN ALL CORRESPONDENCE.FURTHERMORE,SHOULD
THERE BE ANY CHANGE OF ADDRESS DO INFORM OUR AGENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!ONCE MORE AND THANK YOU FOR BEING
PART OF OUR PROMOTIONAL PROGRAM.


BEAR IN MIND THAT 10% OF YOUR FUND WILL BE GOING TO THE LOTTERY
ORGANIZATION THAT PLAYED THE LOTTERY WITH PEOPLES NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESSES
THAT SHOULD BE AFTER YOU MOST HAVE RECEIVED THE FUND IN YOUR ACCOUNT, THE
10% WOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO THEM BUT WHY IT CAN NOT BE GIVEN TO THEM IS
BECAUSE THE FUND HAS BEEN INSURED AND WILL NOT BE REMOVED TILL YOU RECEIVE
THE FUND IN YOUR
ACCOUNT.



SINCERELY,
MR.PAUL OKOSA.
VICE PRESIDENT.
URBAN LOTTERY




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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam