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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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• 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:

• 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:
  • "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • ",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)
  • ",500,000" (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 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.
  • jobrienpowerball@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
  • 3ajobrienpowerball@yahoo.co.uk

Fraud email example:

From: "michaelrainsburg.info Gazeta.pl" <michaelrainsburg.info@gazeta.pl>
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 05:50:32 -0700
Subject: WINNINGS


FROM: THE DESK OF THE PROMOTIONS MANAGER
POWER BALL LOTTERY PROMOTIONS / PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT
POWER BALL LOTTO COMPANY


Dear Winner,
We are please to announce you as one of the 17 lucky winners in the Power
Ball Lottery draw held on the 17th of May. 2008.
All 17 winning addresses were randomly selected from a batch of 50,000,000
international emails.Your email address emerged

alongside others as a category 2 winner in this year's Annual Power Ball
Lotto Draw.
Consequently,you have therefore been approved for a total pay out of
$2,500,000 USD only.The following particulars are

attached to your lotto payment order:
(i) winning numbers: 37-13-43-85-67-11
(ii) email ticket number: PB754/22/76
(iii) lotto code number: PB09622UK
(iv) the file Ref number:PB /04/736207152/UK
Please contact the underlisted operations manager below for the immediate
release of your winnings:
Mr.John Obrien
The Power Ball Loto Company
Tel/Fax:+448709125029
Email:jobrienpowerball@yahoo.co.uk <Email%3Ajobrienpowerball@yahoo.co.uk>

1.Please quote your Reference number in all correspondence with the
operations manager.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Sincerely,
Michael Rainsburg
PowerBall Lotto company
UK & Europe

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam