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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!
  
• How to report 419 spam to us
• 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.

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:
  • "sequel to your email" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
• 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!

Fraud email example:

From: John McCarthy InterLotto Online <john2interlotto@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 23:01:37 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Your winnings...


Hello and good day,

Sequel to your email, you were one of the lucky winners on our random email lottery program and have been directed to contact us for follow up. The lottery was conducted using automated email ballot system and your email address succeeded as one of the winners. Please follow every single instruction given to you for the success of verifying/claiming your winnings.

You are required to visit our website http://www.interl-inc.org to activate your winnings for transfer.
Instructions:
1. Visit the InterLotto Online website http://www.interl-inc.org
2. On the navigation bar, click on the "claim winnings"
3. Enter your winnings details to activate your winnings.
4. You will be asked to download a form which you will fill for payment to your bank account.

Winnings details:
Below are the winning details which you need to activate your winnings on our website.
Ticket Number...................
Batch Number....................
Serial Number...................
Pass code........................

Thank you and congratulations once more.

Mr. John McCarthy
Claims Department,
InterLotto Online
London, UK


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam