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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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• 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.

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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")
• 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.
  • +27839574520 (South Africa, 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.
  • frank_za_sa@yahoo.com
  • frank_sa_za@hotmail.com

Fraud email example:

From: "lottery office" <lottery_sa_5@hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 29 Oct 2005 21:36:29 +0200
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!! SOUTH AFRICA 2010 LOTTERY WINNER.

SouthAfrica Lottery promotion
From the desk of: Mr Mike Zuma.
Tel/Fax:27-11-453-761

Dear Sir\Madam

CONGRATULATIONS FOR YOUR WINNING

We happily announce to you the draw of South African 2010 World cup Bid
lottery Award International programs held in Pretoria, SouthAfrica. Your
e-mail address attached to ticket number: B9665 75604546 199 with! Serial
number 97560 drew the winning: 60/84/27/17/36, which subsequently won you
the lottery award in the 2nd category. Your name has therefore been approved
to claim a total sum of US$2,000.000.00 (Two million United States Dollars)
in cash credited to file KPC/9030108308/03. This is from a total cash prize
of US $30,000,000.00 (Thirty million United States dollars) shared among the
first 200 lucky winners in this category worldwide.

Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our lottery booklet
representative office in South Africa as indicate in the play coupon. In
view of this, your US $2,000.000 (Two Million United States Dollars) would
be released to you through the assistance of our agent in South Africa
immediately he commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds
as soon as you contacted him. Also your claim included with free flight
ticket and one month hotel reservation in one of the five star hotels.

All participants were selected randomly from Worldwide Web site through
computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000,00 companies and
individual emails address. The lottery program took place to promote South
Africans 2010 world cup award. For security reasons, you are advised to keep
your winning information confidential till your claims are processed and
your money remitted to you in whatever manner you deem fit to claim your
prize. This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming
and unwarranted abuse of this program by some unscrupulous elements.

Please you are advised to file for your claim immediately through our Claim
agent Dr .Frank Khumalo immediately you received this message because you
stand a risk of loosing the prize if you fail to claim within a month from
the day you received this notification.

His e-mail address is:

Email: frank_za_sa@yahoo.com
Email: frank_sa_za@hotmail.com

Please call him on: +27-83-957-4520


Call him on phone immediatly you get this mail.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Mike Zuma.
(Zonal coordinator)

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam