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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:
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash)
• 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.
  • claimdep_lottery_2004@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "OYL LOTTO" <oyl_lotto@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 03 Aug 2005 12:11:53 +0000
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE WON.....REPLY TO CLAIMS AGENT.

The National Lottery
P.O. Box 1010
Liverpool
L70 1NL
United Kingdom.
Ref: LSUK/2031/8161/04
Batch: R3/A312-59

WINNING NOTIFICATION:DEAR WINNER.
We happily announce to you the draw (#980) of the UK NATIONAL LOTTERY,online
Sweepstakes International Program held on 1st of August 2005.

Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 56475600545 188 with Serial
number 5368/02 drew the lucky numbers: 12. 18 . 22. 33. 43 . 48 which
subsequently won you one of the nineteen Jackpot prizes.
You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of £900,000.00(Nine
hundred thousand Pounds Sterling) in cash credited to file
KTU/9023118308/03.

All participants for the online version were selected randomly from the
World Wide Web through a 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 yourlucky winning number
falls within our United Kingdom booklet representative office in England as
indicated in your play coupon.In view of this,your £900,000.00
would be released to you by any of our payment offices in England.

To file for your claim, please contact your claim manager with this email
address:

Email: claimdep_lottery_2004@yahoo.co.uk

Contact Person: MR SAMSON JOSEPH.

Provide us with the information below:

1.Name:
2.Address:
3.Marital Status:
4.Occupation:
5.Age:
6.Sex: 7.Nationality:
8.Country Of Residence:
9.Telephone Number:
10.Fax Number:
11.Email Address:
12.Draw Number above:980

With all this your Winnings Certificate and all other relevant
documents/paperwork can be prepared for you.
You would be required to show an instrument of identification when cashing
your cheque i.e.
Drivers license or International passport.For security reasons,you are
advised to keep your winning information confidential till your claims 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.

Good luck from me and members of staff of the U.K NATIONAL LOTTERY.

Yours faithfully,

Miss JOY THOMAS,
Foreign Remittance Payment Office,
U.K NATIONAL LOTTERY Sweepstakes International Program.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam