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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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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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "million united states dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
  • "hundred thousand united states dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
  • ",000,000" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
• 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.
  • +27730746207 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: lotto lotto <nzama1007@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2007 15:39:47 +0200
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS OUR DEAR WINNER!!!!



FROM THE DESK OF THE PROMOTIONS MANAGER,MRS.SANDRA NZAMA.EUROPEAN/UK/S.A.UNION INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS BID SOUTH AFRICA 2010 WORLD CUP LOTTERY AWARD DEPARTMENT.SWITZERLAND/SOUTH AFRICA(Customer Services) Ref:KPC/9030108308/03Batch:B966575604546119Winning No:60/84/27/17/36Serial number:97560 WINNING NOTIFICATIONWe happily annouce to you the draw of South African2010 World Cup Bid Lottery Award Internationalprograms held in SWITZERLAND your "email address" wasattached to ticket number;B9665 75604546 199 serialnumber 97560 This batch draws the lucky numbers asfollows 60/84/27/17/36, bonus number 2, whichconsequently won the lottery in the second category. Your name have therefore been approved to claim atotal sum of US$1,500.000.00(One million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in cash credited to file KPC/9030108308/03.This is from a total cash prize of US$ 30,000,000.00 (Thirty million United States dollars) shared among the first 200 lucky winners in this categoryworld-wide. All participants "email address" were selected througha computer balloting system drawn from Nine hundredthousand names from Canada,Australia,UnitedStates,Asia,Europe,Middle East,Africa and Oceanicas part of our international promotions program whichis conducted annually.This Lottery was promoted and sponsored by somemultinational companies and some other EU governmentalpersonalities part of their social responsibility topromote South Africans 2010 world cup award. thecitizens in the communities where they haveoperational base. To process your claims you are hereby advice tocontact the Claim Agent immediatly with thisinformation:NAME:.................................. ADDRESS:...............................NATIONALITY:.........................SEX:...................................AGE:...................................PHONE/MOBILE:........................FAX:...................................OCCUPATION:..........................COMPANY:...............................BATCH/WINNINGNUMNBER:............................... The lottery program took place to promote SouthAfricans 2010 world cup award. Please you are advisedto file for your claim immediately through our Agentin South Africa Dr JOHAN KLEAN for the claim of yourprize. Call him on the phone immediately you receivedthis message because you stand a risk of loosing theprize if you fail to claim within two month from theday you received this notification. His contact details are as follows...NAME: Dr JOHAN KLEAN(CLAIM AGENT).Email:johanklean@hotmail, johanklean1@hotmail.comTEL:+27-73-0746-207 Call him on the phone immediately you recieve thismail.For security reasons, we advice all winners to keepthis information confidential from the public untilyour claim is processed and your prize released toyou. This is part of our security protocol to avoiddual claiming and unwarranted taking advantage of thisprogram by non-participant or unofficial personnel. Congratulations once again on your winnings!!!Best RegardsMrs Sandra NzamaCo-coordinatorEUROPEAN.UK .SOUTH AFRICAN UNION INTERNATIONALPROMOTIONS. Yours faithfully, Mrs Sandra NzamaOnline coordinator EUROPEAN/UK/S.A UNION INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS, Open 7 days 7am-7pm.
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam