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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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• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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:

• 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.
  • +447031861476 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "Maxwell Huggins" <uknationallottery_maxwell@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: maxwellhuggins@ummah.org
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 17:33:21 +0000
Subject: WE ARE VERY SORRY FOR THE DELAY






FROM:THE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
UK NATIONAL LOTTERY
SUPPORT CENTRE,BEVAN HOUSE
BEVAN AVENUE
CONWY LL28 5AF UK.
TELEFAX : +44 703-186-1476

ATTEN: SIR/MADAM


WE SINCERELY APOLOISE FOR THE DELAY IN PROCESSING THE PROMPT PAY OFF OF YOUR
WINNING IN OUR LAST LOTTERY SWEEPSTAKES INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME HELD IN
DECEMBER 2006.YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS ATTACHED TO THE TICKET NUMBER
69475600545721, SERIAL NUMBER 886/04, AND REFERENCE NUMBER, BTL/311OXI/02,
WHICH WON THE LUCKY NUMBERS (13)-(43)-(06)-(15)-(02)-(40) AND BONUS
NUMBER(09), WON IN THE FIRST CATEGORY - i.e MATCH 5 PLUS BONUS NUMBER.
IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR PAY OFF SCHDULES, YOUR PAYMENT OF NINE HUNDRED
THOUSAND BRITISH POUNDS STERLING - £ 900,000.00 WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PAID TO
YOU IN THREE INSTALMENTAL PAYMENTS OF THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS STERLING
PER TIME. BUT DUE TO THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS AND THE SUBSEQUENT DELAY FROM
THE COMPUTER ROOM OPERATORS WHO WERE ON THE SEASONAL HOLIDAYS, YOU HAVE
THEREFORE BEEN APPROVED FOR A LUMP SUM PAY OUT WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY OF YOUR
TOTAL WINNINGS.
YOU ARE THEREFORE REQUESTED TO CONFIRM THE RECEIPT OF THIS MEMO TO ENABLE US
PROCESS AND RELEASE YOUR PAYMENT WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY.
WE SINCERELY APOLOGISE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCES THIS MIGHT HAVE CAUSED YOU. WE
HOPE THAT THE LUMP SUM PAY OUT WILL ADEQUATELY COMPENSATE FOR THE
INCONVENIENCES.
DUE TO A MIX UP IN SOME NUMBERS AND NAMES, WE ARE BEING VERY CAREFUL TO
AVOID DOUBLE PAYMENT. WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED PAYMENT
FROM ANY OF OUR PROGRAMMES IN THE PAST. ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE DRAWN FROM A
COMPUTER BALLOT SYSTEM DRAWN FROM OVER 40,000 COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUAL EMAIL
ADDRESSES AND NAMES FROM ALLOVER THE WORLD. WE WOULD INFORM YOU ON HOW TO
APPLY FOR, AND TAKE PART IN OUR UPCOMING INERNATIONAL DRAW COMING UP IN
MARCH 2006 FOR THE SUM OF £15,000,000. THIS DRAW IS ONE OF OUR PROMOTIONAL
SERIES.
PLEASE DO HELP US BY QUOTING YOUR REFERENCE AND SERIAL NUMBERS IN ALL YOUR
CORRESPONDENCE. KEEP YOUR TICKET NUMBER VERY SECRET AS WE WILL NOT BE HELD
LIABLE FOR ANY PROBLEMS ARISING FROM YOUR CARELESSNESS WITH YOUR TICKET
NUMBER. FIND ATACHED THE WINNING NUMBERS PLUS THE BONUS NUMBER. DOUBLE
ENTRY / CLAIMS WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE DISQUALIFIED FOR THE TWO ENTRIES.
ONCE MORE, THE MEMBERS OF STAFF AT UK NATIONAL LOTTERY EXTEND THEIR WISHES
OF A HAPPY NEW YEAR TOYOU AND YOUR FAMILY. THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF OUR
PROMOTIONAL PROGRAMME.

ANYBODY UNDER THE AGE OF 16 IS AUTOMATICALLY DISUALIFIED.
YOURS SINCERELY,

PATRICIA BENNETH COLE(MRS)
FOR; DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS.



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam