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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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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 phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
• 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 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.
  • info.onlinegames@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "The National Lottery" <WEBDNXIEV401@prodigy.net>
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2007 15:26:03 -0800
Subject: NOTIFICATION OF WINNINGS

The National Lottery
P O Box 1010
Liverpool, L70 1NL UNITED KINGDOM
(Customer Services)
Ref: UK/9420X2/68
Batch: 074/05/ZY369
17th Febuary 2007.

NOTIFICATION OF WINNINGS
We happily announce to you the draw (#1007) of the UK
NATIONAL LOTTERY,online Sweepstakes International
program held on 17th Febuary 2007. Your e-mail address
attached to ticket number: 56475600545188 with Serial
number 5368/02 drew the lucky numbers: 03 10 13
22 31 33 15 (bonus no.), which subsequently won you
the lottery in the 2nd category i.ematch 5 plus
bonus.You have therefore been approved
to claim a total sum of £950,000.00 (Nine Hundred and
Fifty Thousand pounds) in cash credited to file
KTU/9023118308/03. This promotion takes place
weekly.Please note that your lucky winning number
falls within our European booklet representative
office in Europe as indicated in your play coupon.In
view of this, your £950,000.00 (Nine Hundred and Fifty
Thousand pounds) would be released to you by any of
our payment offices in Europe. With your personal
information e.g: Name, Address, Phone Number.For
security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning
information confidential till you claim it.Please be
warned.To file for your claim, please contact our
fiduciary agent with your full personal information
including Phone Number.
MR ADAMS PETERSON
Contact email:- info.onlinegames@yahoo.co.uk
Goodluck from me and members of staff of the UK
NATIONAL LOTTERY.
This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid
double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program.
Yours faithfully,
Online coordinator for THE NATIONAL
LOTTERY,Sweepstakes International Program

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam