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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:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
• 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.
  • +447031914520 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • wilsodavies@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "jephter moris" <jefmoris4@msn.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 19:41:18 +0000
Subject: FOUR MILLION POUNDS LOTTERY WINNING

UNIVERSAL STAKE LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL
LONDON.12 BRIDGE STREET,
STAINES MIDDLESEX TW18 4TP UK
REF NUMBER: OSL/653/029/03
BATCH NUMBER: AT-040-SB06-03

DEAR SIR/MADAM,

SUBJECT:FOUR MILLION POUNDS LOTTERY WINNING

We are pleased to inform you, THAT AS A RESULT OF OUR RECENT Lottery DRAWS
HELD on the 13TH OF January 2006. Your e-mail address attached to
ticket number 27522465896-532 with serial number 652-662 drew lucky
numbers 7-14-18-23-31-45 which consequently won in the 2nd category. you
have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of FOUR MILLION
POUNDS.
Note that All participants in this lottery program have been selected
randomly through a computer ballot system drawn from over 20,000 companies
and 30,000,000 individual email addresses from all search engines and
websites. This promotional program takes place every year, and is promoted
and sponsored by eminent personalities like the Sultan of Brunei, bill
gates of microsoft inc and other corporate organisations. This is to
encourage the use of the internet and computers worldwide.
For security purpose and clarity, we advise that you keep your winning
information confidential until your claims have been processed and your
money remitted to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid
double claims and unwarranted abuse of this program by some participants.
We look forward to your active participation in our next year 50 million
pounds slot.You are requested to contact our international payment
department office below to assist you with your winnings and subsequent
payments. all winnings must be claimed not later than one month After the
date of this notice.Please note, in order to avoid unnecessary delays and
complications,remember to quote your reference number and batch numbers in
all correspondence.Furthermore,should there be any change of address do
inform our payment department as soon as possible.
Congratulations on your award and thank you for being part of our
promotional program.

NOTE: YOU ARE AUTOMATICALLY DISQUALIFIED IF YOU ARE BELOW 18 YEARS OF AGE.
Sincerely yours,

Dr JEPHTER MORIS
(LOTTERY COORDINATOR)

NOTE:YOU ARE ADVICE TO CONTACT
MR WILSON DAVIES (PAYMENT OFFICER)
INTERNATIONAL PAYMENT DEPARTMENT UNIVERSAL LOTTERY.
FOR MORE DIRECTIVES ON HOW TO CLAIM YOUR WINNING.
EMAIL:wilsodavies@yahoo.co.uk
TEL:+44-7031914520 FAX:447005976914

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam