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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:

• The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "international lottery programme"
• 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.
  • +447024067267 (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.
  • frank_s_claimsagent@yahoo.co.uk

Fraud email example:

From: "Australian Lottery" <australianlotterypromo2006@msn.com>
Date: Sat, 04 Feb 2006 14:55:40 +0000
Subject: NOTIFICATION OF WINNING!!!!!

Date: 4/02/2006
Ref: 7458222754
Batch: 905534213/255
Winning no: XB3/701/LNRC

CONGRATULATIONS !
Dear Lucky winner

We are delighted to inform you of your prize release on the 4tht of January
2006 from the Australian International Lottery programme. Which is fully
based on an electronic selection of winners Your name was attached to
ticket number; 7458222754,905534213 serial number 6741137002. This batch
draws the lucky numbers as follows 2-17-43-47-52bonus number 17,which
consequently won the lottery in the second category.You here by have been
approved a lump sum pay of US$1,000.000 (ONE MILLION DOLLARS) in cash
credit file ref: ILP/MW 47509/02 from the total cash prize shared amongst
eight lucky winners in this category.

All participant were selected through a computer balloting system drawn
from Nine hundred thousand E-mail addresses from Canada, Australia,United
States, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Oceania as part of our
international promotions program which is conducted annually. This Lottery
was promoted and sponsored by a conglomorate of some multinational
companies as part of their social responsibility to the citizens in the
commmunities where they have operational base.

Further more, your details(e-mail address) falls within our Europe
representative office in UNITED KINGDOM U.K, as indicated in your play
coupon and your prize of US$1000,0000 will be released to you from this
regional branch office in London.

Simply contact our Fudicial Agent
Rev. Frank Spencer
with this email address
[frank_s_claimsagent@yahoo.co.uk ]
Tel +447024067267


We hope with part of your prize, you will participate in our end of year
high stakes for US$1.3 Billion
international draw. Please quote your Date of draw,reference, batch and
winning numbers which can be found on the top left corner of this letter and
telephone number to help locate your file easily.

For security reasons, we advice all winners to keep this information
confidential from the
public until your claim is processed and your prize released to you.This
is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted
taking advantage of this programme by non-participant or unofficial
personnel.

Note, all winnings MUST be claimed on or before 10th of February, 2006;
otherwise all funds will be returned as Unclaimed and eventually donated
to charity Congratulations once again on
your winnings!!!
Best Regards,

Mrs Grace Rose
(For Public Relations) Note: Contact our Fudicial Agent with
[frank_s_claimsagent@yahoo.co.uk]
and fill in for your
winning prize.


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam