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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:
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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:
  • "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)
• 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.
  • dixonsharon97@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "SOUTH AFRICA 2010 WORLD CUP LOTTERY" <leo.don37@gmail.com>
Reply-To: dixonsharon97@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2008 19:34:16 +0200
Subject: SOUTH AFRICA 2010 WORLD CUP LOTTERY


SOUTH AFRICA 2010 WORLD CUP LOTTERY

No.23 Henley Road, 2nd Floor
SABC Radio Park Building
P.O. Box.91711
Auckland Park, 2006 South Africa.


We are pleased to inform you that as a result of our recent SOUTH AFRICA
2010 WORLD CUP LOTTERY DRAWS held in South Africa, your e-mail address
enclosed with ticket number:268984667103 with serial number 009/016584332
won in the 2ND category with the following Winning Numbers 8,10,13,22,32,
38 . You have therefore been approved for a lump sum of €500,000. (Five
Hundred Thousand Euros only)

Note that all participants in this lottery program have been selected
randomly through a computer ballot system drawn from over 200,000 companies
and 30,000,000 individual e-mail addresses from all search engines and web
sites. This program is strictly for international participants ONLY for the
World Cup Promotion!
YOU ARE TO CONT ACT YOUR CLAIM AGENT
Mrs. Sharon Dixon
Email: dixonsharon97@yahoo.co.uk<http://us.mc1111.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=dixonsharon97@yahoo.co.uk>

You have to send the following details to your claim agent in order to
facilitate the processing and release of your winning fund.

Your full names: ..............................
Nationality:........................
Country of residence: ..............
Tel number: ........................
Fax number............................
Occupation: ........................
Sex: ....................... ........
Age:................................
Winning E-mail Address:.............
Ticket Number:......................
Winning Numbers:....................
Serial Number:......................
Amount Won:.........................

You are required to keep your winning information confidential. This is part
of our security protocol to avoid double claims and unwarranted abuse of
this program by some winners.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam