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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
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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:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
• 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.
  • fiduciaryagent41@sify.com

Fraud email example:

From: "U.K LOTTERY SERVICE" <uklottomails@msn.com>
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2005 22:13:50 +0000
Subject: YOU ARE 1,000,000.00 POUND RICHER

THE FREE LOTTO COMPANY
UK HEAD OFFICE
SUITE 23-30,LION TOWERS
CENTRAL LONDON
ENGLAND

Attn: Winner,

We are please to announce you as one of the 10 lucky
winners in the Free Lotto draw held on the 1st of October 2005. All
10 winning addresses
were randomly selected from a batch of 50,000,000
international emails. Your
email address emerged alongside 9 others as a
category 2 winner in this
year's Annual FreeLotto Draw.

Consequently, you have therefore been approved for a
total pay out of ONE
MILLION POUNDS only. The following particulars are

attached to your lotto payment order:

(i) Winning numbers: 37-13-43-85-67-11
(ii) Email ticket number: FL754/22/76
(iii) Lotto code number: FL09622UK
(iv) The file Ref number: FL/04/7052/UK

Please contact the under listed FIDUCIARY Agent as
soon as possible for the
immediate release of your winnings:

Mr. BRIAN THOMAS (Agent 40)

TEL: 44 7881755510
FAX: 44 8700632952
Email: fiduciaryagent41@sify.com

STEPS TO CLAIMING YOUR WINNING PRIZE INCLUDE:

1.Quoting your Reference number in all
correspondence with the Fiduciary
Agent.
2.Winners must send their names, address, telephone
number and means of
identification (international passport or drivers

license) to the Fiduciary agent for the processing
of their winning prize.


Once again on behalf of all our staff,

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Sincerely,
Carol Halendale
Promotions Manager
The Lotto Company
UK & Europe.



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam