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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 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!
• 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.
  • rangersblairuk@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "UK LOTTERY" <winningnotification_uklottery@hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 05 Nov 2005 04:34:26 +0000
Subject: WINNING NOTIFICATION

The National Lottery
P O Box 1010
Liverpool, L70 1NL
UNITED KINGDOM
(Customer Services)

Ref: UK/9420X2/68
Batch: 074/05/ZY369


WINNING NOTIFICATION:
We happily announce to you the draw (#961) of the UK NATIONAL LOTTERY,
online
Sweepstakes International program held on the 1st Of November, 2005. It is
yet to be
unclaimed and you are getting the final NOTIFICATION as regards this.

Your e-mail address attached to ticket number:
56475600545 188 with Serial number 5368/02 drew the lucky numbers:
14-21-25-39-40-47 (bonus no.20), which subsequently won you the lottery in
the 2nd category
i.e match 5 plus bonus.

You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of £257,366 (Two
hundred and fity seven thousand three hundred and sixty six pounds sterling)
in cash credited to file KTU/9023118308/03. This is from a total cash prize
of £1,029,464 shared amongst the(4)lucky winners in this category i.e Match
5 plus bonus.
All participants for the online version were selected randomly from World
Wide Web sites through computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000
unions, associations, and corporate bodies that are listed online. This
promotion takes place weekly.

Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our European booklet
representative
office in Europe as indicated in your play coupon. In view of this, your
£257,366 (Two hundred
and fity seven thousand three hundred and sixty six pounds sterling)will be
released to you by
any of our payment offices in Europe. Our European agent will immediately
commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds as soon as you
contact him.
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:

Mr. Blair Rangers
E-mail: rangersblairuk@yahoo.com

Endeavour to email/him your full names,winning numbers,telephone and fax
numbers
immediately.

Congratulations from me and members of staff of THE NATIONAL LOTTERY.

Yours faithfully,
Stella Ellis(Mrs)
Online coordinator for THE NATIONAL LOTTERY
Sweepstakes International Program.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam