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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• 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 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.
  • floydgray@lycos.es

Fraud email example:

From: "IMPERIAL LOTTO" <imperiallotto@netscape.net>
Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 23:27:44 +0100
Subject: HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!



IMPERIAL LOTTO COMPANY
CALLE ARANJUEZ 185,28967,
MADRID-SPAIN.
Dear Jdesmit,
We are please to announce you as one of the 10 lucky winners in the Imperial Lotto draw held on 5th of Febuary 2006. All 10 winning addresses were randomly selected from a batch of 50,000,000 international emails. Your email or your company email address emerged alongside 9 others as category 2 winners in this years Imperial Lotto Draw.
Consequently, you have therefore been approved for a total pay out of
(_860,750.00) Eight Hundred and Sixty Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty Euros only. The following particulars are attached to your lotto payment order:
(i) Winning numbers: 24-09-42-96-49-21
(ii) Email ticket number: IL532/00/74
(iii) Lotto code number: IL02533ES
(iv) The file Ref number: IL/06/813094351/ES
Please contact the under listed claims officer as soon as possible for the immediate release of your winnings:
Mr. Floyd Gray
Chief financial Director.
Imperial lotto Company
Email: floydgray@lycos.es
Once again on behalf of all our staff, CONGRATULATIONS!!!
=======================================================================================
The Imperial Lotto Awards is proudly sponsored by all international IT companies all over the world. The Imperial lotto Internet draw is held quarterly every year and is so organized to encourage the use of the Internet and computers worldwide. We are proud to say that Over 200 Million Euros are won annually in more than 150 countries worldwide.

Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. Raul Mendoza
Promotions Manager
Imperial Lotto Company Europe
N.B:
1.All claims are nullified after 30 working days from today.
2. Your Ref number must be in all your mails with the claims officer.
3. Do inform the claims officer of any change of names or addresses.
4. Do not reply to this email contact the claims officer.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam