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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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• 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.

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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.
  • +447005942213 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: ROYAL PEAK <winner_thirdcategorydraw@theroyalpeakraffledraw.com>
Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2006 03:39:13 +0000
Subject: RAFFLE DRAW WINNER


ROYAL PEAK RAFFLE DRAW47 BLOOM STREETGREATER MANCHESTERM60 8HA, UNITED KINGDOM Dear Prize Winner, We are please to announce you as one of the three (3) lucky winners in the ROYAL PEAK RAFFLE DRAW held on 4TH of NOVEMBER 2006. All three(3) winning email addresses were selected randomly from over One Million (1,000,000) email addresses. Your email address emerged alongside 2 others as a 3rd category winner in this month's draw. Consequently, you have therefore been approved for a total pay out of "One million two hundred thousand pounds only" (£1,200,000). Find below your winning details required for the claims of your prize: (i) Raffle numbers: 03-08-17-24-31-38 (ii) Serial number: 004-4096(iii) Draw number: 00906/03B Please contact the underlisted Accounts division as soon as possible for the immediate release of your winnings: Mr. Ashley TurnerAccount DivisionSTERLING MERCHANT BANKEmail: accountdept@sterlmerchbankltd-uk.netTele/Fax: +44 7005942213
To avoid delay in your claims process, we ask that you keep your Winninginformation confidential during claims process. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and gratuitous abuse of this program by some participant. On behalf of all our staff, CONGRATULATIONS!!! Sincerely, Mr. Matt FrancisRaffle ManagerTel: +44 7011132513Fax: +44 7005803068
N.B:1.All claims are nullified after 10 working days from date of receipt of notification by email.2.You will require a financial obligation for the insurance of your prize.3.Inform STERLING MERCHANT BANK of any change of names or addresses.4.All winners under the age of 18 are automatically dis-qualified.5.Please do not reply to this email AS IT WAS SENT FOR A MAIL SERVER AND IS UNATTENDED TO, immediately contact STERLING MERCHANT BANK by their fax or email._______________________________________________________________________ ROYAL PEAK RAFFLE DRAW Awards is proudly sponsored by financial Corp's and a conglomeration of other international companies. Royal Peak Raffle draw is held monthly, and is organized to encourage the use of the internet and computers worldwide. We are proud to say that over 200 Million Pounds are won annually in more than 150 countries worldwide. We also encourage you to visit our website and take your chance to play and become part of our monthly winners. Millions are won on a mont
hly basis on one of the world's most famous raffle draw.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam