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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:

• 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!

Fraud email example:

From: "Anthony Ollerenshaw" <anthony_ollerenshaw@msn.com>
Reply-To: anthonyollerenshaw299@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 02:17:45 +0000
Subject: MEMO FROM: PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT PREMIER !!!!!!!!

MEMO FROM: THE PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT PREMIER LOTTERY
We happily announce to you that you have been selected as one of two winners
of the PREMIER LOTTERY and a Category A prize winner, computer ballot draws
and thus will be a privileged recipient of the grand draw prize of
£6,500,000 (Six million five hundred thousand Great Britain Pounds only).
Winning File Reference number for your prize is PLUK/2030/0181/08; ticket
number101-OIO-77/A. We in the PREMIER LOTTERY,is by this program, launching
our model computer balloting lottery draws, developed and designed to
satisfy the cravings of the ever growing number of participants in our
various lottery programs. with funds accrued exclusively from previous
draws, payouts to all Winners are guaranteed and will be transferred in
record time. After randomly selecting 15,000 participants from an initial
database of 300,000 emails and zoning all participants by their respective
continents from across the globe, we produced an extensive list from which
you have emerged as one of the winners of the Grand Draw prize.

In view of this, your £6,500,000 (Six million five hundred thousand Great
Britain Pounds) For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning
information confidential till your claim is 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.
Please be warned !!!

To file for your claim, please contact our fiduciary agent:
MRS.Susan EDWARDS
FINANCIAL DIRECTOR

Respecrfully,
Anthony Ollerenshaw

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam