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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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • " lotto international " (no such lottery exists)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "million us 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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
  • "deadline" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
• 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.
  • foreignconsultant_freelotto@yahoo.com.hk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Free Lotto International." <vkantor@bgnet.bgsu.edu>
Reply-To: foreignconsultant_freelotto@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:36:07 -0400
Subject: Free Lotto Organization (Winning Notification).


FROM:THE DESK OF THE MANAGING DIRECTOR
INTERNATIONAL/PRIZE AWARD DEPT
FREE LOTTO INTERNATIONAL
Headquarters:
Customer Service
28 TANFIELD ROAD,
CROYDON.LONDON
REF NO: LT/7914290166/CTV
BATCH: LM/51390-0/WGP.

WINNING NOTIFICATION.

We are pleased to inform you of the announcement today, winners of the
FREE LOTTO INTERNATIONAL ONLINE

PROMOTION held on the 15th of June 2008 . Your email was attached to
ticket number 525-6746-1902-440; with

serial number 8926-45 drew the lucky numbers 13-15-22-37-39-43, and
consequently won the lottery in the

1st category. You have therefore been approved for pay out of
US$1,000,000.00 [One Million US dollars]

credited to file NO.:NM/BC 921245/KY13.Your fund would be released to
you conveniently by our pay out bank where you will be adequately paid
be by

draft/cheque after proper identification and sign your final fund
release order. All participants were

selected randomly from World Wide Website through their email addresses
with a computer drawn system which

their email was extracted from over 100,000 companies’ website in the
world. All participants were

selected through their email addresses and a computer ballot system was
drawn from 15 million email

addresses from Australia, New Zealand, America, Europe, North America,
Africa and Asia as part of their

International Promotions Program.

CONGRATULATIONS!
Your fund is now deposited with your ticket number and serial number.
Please be informed that your above winning prize fund has been insured

under insurance fund policy which assured you that you will receive your
winning fund complete without any

reduction from the fund for security reasons. YOU MUST CLAIM YOUR FUND
IMMEDIATELY TO AVOID CHARGES, as

this is part of our security measure to avoid double claiming or
unwarranted taking advantage of the

situation by other participants or impersonators. The deadline date of
this notice is two weeks after the

date of notification by which lottery winning prize will be marked
unclaimed and remitted back to the

account of “FREE LOTTO INTERNATIONAL" as unclaimed.

To begin your claim, please contact your claim agent

Name: Ben Harry( FOREIGN SERVICE AGENCY/CONSULTANT).

E-mail: foreignconsultant_freelotto@yahoo.com.hk

Please remember to quote your reference and batch numbers in every one
of your correspondences with your

agent.

To begin with the processing of your Award prize you are provided the
under listed.
Reference number:.................................
Batch number:....................................
Amount Won: .......................................
Full name:.......................................
Age:.......................................
Sex:........................................
Residential address:...............................
Nationality:...............................
Occupation:................................
Post held:.......................................
Tel(s):....................................
Fax:........................................
Income: ..............................
Send the above data which is required to your claim agent as soon as
you recieve this email to comence

with the processing of your prize immediately.

Sincerely,
Gomes Edlow.
THE PROMOTIONS MANAGER,
FREE LOTTO INTERNATIONAL.

N.B.Anybody under the age of 18 is automatically disqualified.

WWW.FREELOTTO.COM
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FREE LOTTO INTERNATIONAL IS REGISTERED UNDER THE DATA PROTECTION ACT OF;
(Registration Z720633X).
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Copyright © 1804-2008 The Free Lotto International. All rights reserved.
Terms of Service - Guidelines.
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam