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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claims 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 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.
  • +27782350542 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • cliffzuma@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "free lotto" <freelotto6@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 09:15:41 +0200
Subject: WINNING NOTIFICATION'''(Very Important)

Award Notification.

We are pleased to inform you of the announcement today 11/04/06 of your
selection as one of the five winners of the promotional Free Lotto
Sweepstakes held recently as part of our EXPERIMENTAL BONANZA. You have
therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of 1,400,000.000USD.(One
Million Four Hundred Thousand Dollars.)

We in the Free Lottery Sweepstakes is by this program,Launching our model
computer balloting lottery draws, developed and designed to satisfy the
cravings of the ever-growing number of participants in our various lottery
programs. With funds accrued exclusively from previous draws, payouts to all
winners are guaranteed and will be transferred in record time.

After randomly selecting 15,000 participants from an initial database of
300,000 emails all participants were selected through a computer ballot
system from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Canada, Europe, USA and South
America as part our International Promotions Program, which was conducted in
view of launching ourselves into the Sweepstakes Industry Worldwide and
zoning all participants by their respective continents from across the
globe, we produced an extensive list from which you have emerged as one of
the winners of the Grand Draw prize.

When this programme takes place,email addresses of unknown individuals(ghost
Participants) are drawn from all over the world.Their email addresses are
attached to Certain numbers.If by chance, a certain email address(with
numbers attached) tallies With some lucky numbers,email confirmation is
being sent to the owners of those Addresses.The winnings addresses are
selected with the help of a complicated Electronic email balloting system as
earlier stated.Your claim agent is-

MR. CLIFF ZUMA
Email: cliffzuma@hotmail.com
External service manager,
Free lotto sweepstakes
South Africa
Tel:+27-78-235-0542
www.freelotto.com

In order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please remember to
quote Your reference and batch numbers in every one of your correspondences
with your claims agent Mr Cliff Zuma

REF NO: MELI-T/ 17-F044262312
Batch No:901/00319/HLP
Zonal Draw No: GMLA2-003
Grand Draw No: 12099

1.Winners should send to claim officer account detailed address where they
want their prize paid or sent.
2.Winners must send their names,address,telephone number and means of
identification (international passport or drivers licence)to claim officer,
via email or fax, to process the immediate payment of your prize.

Congratulations once again.
Sincerely,

The Promotions Manager,
The Lotto People
www.freelotto.com
Randburg
PE3 8XH
South Africa.

_________________________________________________________________
See their smiles, hear their laughter with MSN Messenger!
http://messenger.msn.co.za/

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam