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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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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:
  • "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.
  • +447005942963 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT <donotreply@overseasgamblingb.org>
Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2006 13:51:02 +0000
Subject: Re: Prize Award


Batch No: WD18/0078/07LN
Ref: UKNL/2554571156/05
Dear lucky winner,

RE: BONUS LOTTERY PROMOTION PRIZE AWARDS WINNING NOTIFICATION
We are pleased to notify you of the release today as dated of the "UK's Overseas Gambling Board programme held on January 31st 2006.
Participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from 25,000 names from Europe, America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Middle-East, Africa, and North & South America as part of our international promotions programme conducted annually to encourage prospective overseas entries. We hope with part of your prize awards, you will take part in our subsequent lottery jackpots.

The result of our computer draw 929 of this day selected your names and email address attached to Ticket Number 034-22487901 with serial number 144 drew the lucky number 06-40-02-43-13-15-09 which consequently won the lottery grand prize awards in the 2nd category.

Therefore, you have been approved a lottery jackpot lump sum prize awards winning of £850,950.00 (Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty pounds Sterling Only) in cash prize credited to file Ref. No: UKNL/2554571156/05. This is from the total prize of £18,486,220. 00 (Eighteen Million, Four Hundred and Eighty Six Thousand, Two Hundred and Twenty Pounds Sterlings) shared among the Thirty Eight overseas lucky winners in this category as part of our promotional programme for this quarter of the year 2005. This is your opportunity!

Your prize awards has been insured in your names and ready for claim. To begin your claims therefore, you are advised on final notice and as a matter of urgency, to contact our licensed and accredited claim agent for Overseas Gambling Board Winners for the processing of your prize awards winning and payment to your designated bank account after all statutory obligations have been concluded satisfactorily. Contact thus:

Grant Management ltd
Regency House
62-66 Deansgate,
Manchester M3 2EN
United Kingdom.
Tel:+44-7005-942-963 Ext: 3
Fax:+44 -7005-938-406
Fax:+44 -7005-938-107
Email: grantagency1@netscape.com

Due to mixed up in some numbers and names and for the purpose of confidentiality, be advised to keep this award notification as secret from public notice until your claim has been processed and your prize money remitted to your designated bank account as this is part of precautionary measures to avoid double claim or misuse of this program by some social miscreants. Hence, your prize awards winning is confidential as our winners are at liberty to remain completely anonymous until payment is effected to the benefit of the beneficiary. Our staffs are sworn to secrecy, so you will be the only one to know what you've won hence, this notification via this medium (EMAIL) to avoid interception of official letters.
On a final note, you are advised to begin your claim immediately hence, all prizes awards must be claimed and disbursed within 20days of this notification as elapse of the scheduled "End of Claim" date will authorized funds withholding for redirection as abandoned/ unclaimed without notice.
Note: To enhance the processing of your claim by our accredited claim agent, you are advised to officially introduce yourself to the claim agent and also provide them with your valid means of your personal identification with a copy of this awards notification for references.

CONGRATULATIONS !!!

At your disposal, we remain.

Yours Truly,

ELEANOR CONANT (Ms.),
Director.
International Promotions Unit,
OVERSEAS GAMBLING BOARD,
Airport Hale Rd Halebarns
Altrincham Cheshire WA15 8XW UK.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam