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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 phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "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)
• 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.
  • +447045740760 (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.
  • musa_ali08@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "aust_cm1 Gazeta.pl" <aust_cm1@gazeta.pl>
Reply-To: musa_ali08@hotmail.com
Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2008 01:16:51 -0800
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! YOUR EMAIL ID HAVE WON $500,000,00USD(FROM AUSTRALIAN LOTTERY COMPANY 2008)


*COOL STREET
PAULGREENVULLE Ax34587,
AUSTRALIA.
Ref: 465173836
Batch: 5161580903/298
Winning no: GD9201/LPRC

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
Dear Sir/Madam,

We are delighted to inform you of your prize release on the 5th July.
2008, from the Australian Lotto incorporated program.This is a bonus
to promote lotto in Australia Which is fully based on an electronic
selection of winners using their e-mail addresses form some site.

Your email address was attached to ticket number; 4610183618266490202
serial number 8852144102 This batch draws the lucky numbers as follows
5-14-35-36-43 bonus mumber17,which consequently won the lotto in the
second category.You here by have been approved a lump sum pay of
US$500,0 00.00 (FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS) in cash credit file
ref: ILP/HW 47509/09 from the total cash prize shared amongst eight
lucky winners in this category.

All participant were selected through a computer balloting system
drawn form Nine hundred thousand E-mail addresses from Canada,
Australia,United States, Asia, Europe, Middle East,Africa and Oceania
as part of our international promotions program which is conducted
annually.This Lotto was promoted and sponsored by a conglomerate of
some multinational companies as part of their social responsibility to
the citizens in the communities where they have operational base.

Further more your details (email address) falls within our European
representative office in Amsterdam, Holland, as indicated in your play
coupon and your prize of U$500,000.00 will be released to you from
this regional branch office in UNITED KINGDOM AND NIGERIA
RESPECTIVELY. We hope with part of your prize, you will participate in
our end of year high stakes for US$1.3 Billion international draw.
HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE: Simply contact our fiducially agent,Mr Musa
Ali E-mailadress musa_ali08@hotmail.com to file for your claim .
contact him Monday to Friday.Phone: +44 70457 40760 by filling this
form below and send it to him to file for your claim .

LOTTERY WINNERS APPLICATION FORM OF PAYMENT.
FULL NAME.................................................
DATE OF BIRTH.........................................
ADDRESS...................................................
SEX..........................................................
AGE........................................................
NATIONALITY...........................................
OCCUPATION............................................
TELEPHONE.............................................
EMAIL.....................................................
DATE......................................................
WINNER REF/BATCH NO...........................APPROVED FOR PAYMENT.

Please quote your reference,batch and winning number which can be
found on the top left corner of this notification a s well as your
full name, address and telephone number to help locate your file
easily. For security reasons, we advice all winners to keep this
information confidential from the public until your claim is processed
and your prize released to you.

This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and
unwarranted taking advantage of this program by non-participant or
unofficial personnel. Note, all winnings MUST be claimed by the 30th
of JULY 2008, otherwise all funds will be returned as Unclaimed and
eventually donated to charity organizations.

Congratulations once again on your winnings!!! Best Regards Carol
Sweet (co ordinator) PLEASE DO NO T REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.CONTACT YOUR
CLAIMS AGENT AT musa_ali08@hotmail.com ANY BREACH OF CONFIDENTIALITY
ON THE PART OF THE WINNERS WILL RESULT TO DISQUALIFICATION.

Yours faithfully,
Carol Sweet

Online coordinator for AUSTRALIAN LOTTO PROGRAMME.

*

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam