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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 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.
  • +447946599633
• 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.
  • lottopromoters@netscape.net

Fraud email example:

From: "The Investor" <marytownes@hotmail.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 09:05:54 -0200
Subject: KooilPlease Get Back Fast

Hi, UNITED KINGDOM INTERNATIONAL AWARD DEPT Hello, We are pleased to inform you of the result of the Lottery Winners International programs held on the 20/02/2006. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number 436425795822-5043 with serial number 6614102, batch number 8561513529, lottery ref number 7675213911 and drew lucky numbers 7-9-4-17-34-57 which consequently won in the 1st category, you have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of (Eight Hundred And Fifty Thousand Pound Sterling) Keep your winning information confidential; this is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by some participants. All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from over 40,000 company and 20,000,000 individual email addresses and names from all over the world. To file for your claim, please contact our fiducial agent with your ticket number, serial number, batch number, lottery ref number, drew lucky numbers, your names and contact phone numbers: Mr. Andrew Muller, Albert Square, Manchester, United Kingdom. Email: lottopromoters@netscape.net Tel: +44 794 659 9633 Note: Anybody under the age of 18 is automatically disqualified. Yours Sincerely, Walther Jones Lottery Coordinator. Cmjpchu

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam