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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
  
  
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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")
  • ",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)
• 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.
  • +2348035256100 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • smithmatins_agent@yahoo.it

Fraud email example:

From: "Australia Online Lottery." <aslot235@kasonlineplc.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:36:28 -0700
Subject: AUSTRALIA INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY PROMO.


Standard Lottery [image: Australia Now] *FROM: THE DESK OF THE VICE
PRESIDENT INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARDS DEPARTMENT AUSTRALIA
INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY PROMO.*
**
**
*REF: 435062725
BATCH: 7050470902/189
WINNING NO: GB8101/LPRC*

Dear Winner,

We are delighted to inform you of your prize which was released today , from
the Australian International Online Lottery Promo, which is fully based on
an Electronic Selection of winners using their e-mail addresses from some
sites.

Your email address was attached to Ticket Number; 4700172507056490102 and
Serial Number 7741134002.

All participants were selected through a Computer Balloting System drawn
from Nine Hundred Thousand E-mail Addresses from Canada,Australia, United
States,Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Oceania as part of our
International Promotion Program which is conducted annually.

This Lottery 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 an operational base.

Furthermore, your details (e-mail address) fall within our European
Representative Office in Amsterdam, Holland as indicated in your play coupon
and your prize of US$1,000,000.00 will be released to you from our Regional
Office in West Africa.

To claim your prize, please contact our Claim Agent
Name: Reverend Smith Martins
Email: smithmatins_agent@yahoo.it
TEL: +234 80 35256100

While contacting Reverend Smith Martins, furnish him with the information
below for the immediate processing and payment of your prize.

FULL NAMES OF BENEFICIARY:
CONTACT ADDRESS:
NATIONALITY:
SEX:
AGE:
MARITAL STATUS:
TEL NO:
OCCUPATION:

*For security reasons, you are advised 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-participants or
unofficial personnel.*

Note: All winnings MUST be claimed before the 23rd of July 2008; otherwise
all funds will be returned as unclaimed and eventually donated to Charity
Organizations.

Yours faithfully,
Mrs. Kate Ross
Coordinator, Australian International Online Lottery Promo

*Past winners round the world with full of excitment *

*[image: Australian National
Flags]<http://www.ausflag.com.au/flags/national.html>
*

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam