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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) 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:
  • "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 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.
  • +447045704450 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • transfer_unit@hotmail.co.uk

Fraud email example:

From: online claimdepartment <onlineclaimdpt@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 20:24:55 +0100 (BST)
Subject: CONTACT BANK FOR YOUR CLAIM AND FURTHER IDENTIFICATION : TRANSFER_UNIT@RCBEINT.CO.UK)


IDENTIFICATION NUMBER:CPEL/OWN/9876.

Dear Winner,

I am in reciept of your mail and that is why we do advice winners to Call our Offioce for Confirmation,as we know that there are Many people who Play Trick,so Keep Trying as other three winners from this Edition of Lottery have call our Office for confirmation and one of them have claim his Winning Prize Today.

The Bank will Give you what ever you need as Proof,so that you Can Claim your Winning Prize,it is Remaining THREE of you NOW that have not yet claim their winning Prize,but TWO of them have make CONTACT with the BANK and the BANK is arranging to TRANSFER their Winning Prize into their Bank Account in their Various Country.

You are to contact the Bank urgently with the Details given below:

Royal City Bank Of England.

Name: Mr Bill Newman

Email Address: transfer_unit@rcbeint.co.uk
transfer_unit@hotmail.co.uk

Direct Line: +(44)7045704450
Direct Line: +(44)7045714942
Fax: : +(44)7075004825

When Contacting the Bank,send the Bank your International Passport/Driving license for your Identification and Full Bank Account Details where you want your Winning prize to be transfer to in your Country.

NOTE:Keep me posted untill you have claimed your winning prize for record purpose.
Once again Congratulations.

Best Regards,
Mr Williams Woods
Fiduciary Agent Uk Lottery


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam