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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery 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:
  • "clear source of funds certificate" ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "courier service" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
• 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.
  • +447031919363 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: Sweepstakes-International Program Customer Services <claimsagent6000@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2007 21:27:37 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Confirm Datails


The National Lottery
P O Box 1010
Liverpool, L70 1NL UNITED KINGDOM
(Customer Services)



We are in receipt of your mail and i must say that
you should count yourself extremely lucky to have
emerged as one of our winners in thisyears lucky dip
sweepstakes. As you already know,

your email address wasrandomly selected along
with others from variouswebsites on theinternet.
Each email address was attached
to a ticket number.

Congratulation, on your recent winnings. We
acknowledge receipt of your mail we have to inform you that this is real and
you are truly a lucky winner of the lump sum. Of six hundred thousand pounds.

This programme was design to encourage the use of
the Internet in developing nations but presently we are for now
involving all the continents in the world. Winners are normally picked from the
Internet depending on the usage and also your luck is based on if you
are on the Internet when our computer balloting is taking place.

The major computer companies in the world contribute
to this programme with little contribution from the United Nations.
Also this programme is cover by the various law of
lottery of the United Kingdom and also of various countries of the
European Union.

A certificate of prize claims and some vital documents will be sent
along side your winnings cheque.The documents to be sent are:

1.WINNING CERTIFICATE FROM LOTTERY UNITED KINGDOM
SWEEPSTAKES PROMOTIONS.

2.WINNERS CHEQUE FOR THE VALUE OF 600,000 POUNDS.

3.CLEAR SOURCE OF FUNDS CERTIFICATES(C.S.F.C.)

Your cashier cheque will be sent to your address by courier service.
Please forward to us the following data:

Your full names, Phone number
and Resindential address as this will be forwarded
to the courier service.

FULL NAMES:

FULL RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS:

TELEPHONE NUMBE

CELL PHONE NUMBER:

HOME PHONE NUMBER:

FAX NUMBER:

COUNTRY:

ZIP CODE:

STATE:

Sincerely,

Uk- Lottery Fiduciary Agent
(Mr)Russell Weaver
Tel:+44-703-191-9363.


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam