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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "urban lottery international"
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "million us dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
• 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.
  • +2348034001387 (Nigeria, 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.
  • mikeokoro50@yahoo.com
  • mikeokoro50@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "URBAN LOTTO" <urban_lotto21@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 17:27:46 +0000
Subject: AWARD NOTIFICATION

FROM: THE DESK OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
GREEN JOHNSON (URBAN LOTTERY
INTERNATIONAL)PRIZE AWARD DEPT

REF NO: 15/0018/IPD

BATCH NO: EGS/ 22504002/04

ATTN: WINNER.

RE: AWARD NOTIFICATION, FINAL NOTICE.

We are pleased to inform you, that as a result of our RECENT LOTTERY
DRAWS HELD 2005.Your e-mail address attached to
ticket number:085-12876077-09 with serial number:51390-0 drew lucky
numbers:03-05-12-14-38 which consequently won in the 5th category.you
have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay of (ONE MILLION US
DOLLARS ONLY) in cash credited to file with REF: º.EGS/3662367114/13.

Note that all participants in this lottery program have been selected
randomly through a computer ballot system drawn from over 20,000
Officials and 30,000,000 individual email addresses from all search
engines and web sites,from Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, North
and South America, Middle East and Africa, as part of our International
Promotions Program.

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 organizations.

This is to encourage the use of the internet and computers and also to
improve the level of education worldwide.

Your fund is now deposited with Union Bank and insured in your name.

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 your account.

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
4 million dollars slot.

To begin the processing of your prize you are to contact your claims
agent through our accredited Prize Transfer agents as stated below:

REV.DR MIKE OKORO

E MAIL: mikeokoro50@yahoo.com
E MAIL: mikeokoro50@hotmail.com

TEL: +234-803-400-1387
CALL HIM IMMEDIATELY WITH HIS ABOVE DIRECT PHONE NUMBER IF YOU ARE
CALLING FROM (USA) THIS IS HOW YOU DIAL 011-234-803-400-1387

When you contact him, please provide him with your secret BATCH
NO,SERIAL NO.
You are also advised to provide your claim agent with the under listed
information as soon as possible send it to his two email addresses
below,

E MAIL: mikeokoro50@yahoo.com
E MAIL: mikeokoro50@hotmail.com

1. Name in full
2. Address
3. Nationality
4. Age
5. Occupation
6. Phone/Fax

You have been advised not to use your school e mail address
to reply,because sometimes it will be hard to reply you with the
school email address,so use any other e mail to reply.

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 changeof address do inform our agent as
soon as possible.

Congratulations!!!once more and thank you for being part of our
promotional program.

Bear in mind that 10% of your fund will be going to the lottery
organization that played the lottery with peoples name and email
addresses that should be after you most have received the fund in your
account,the 10% would have been given to them,just because the fund has
been insured and will not be removed till you receive the fund in your
account.

Sincerely,
MR.GREEN JOHNSON
VICE PRESIDENT
URBAN LOTTERY



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam