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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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")
  • "hundred thousand united states dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
• 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.
  • johward04@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Oceanic International" <oceanicint5@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: johward04@yahoo.fr
Date: Wed, 10 May 2006 03:19:13 +0000
Subject: Oceanic International Lottery Headquarters

Oceanic International Lottery Headquarters
Customer Service
Ref: EU/8260Y4/83
Batch: 062/09/XT528

FINAL AWARD RESULTS:
We happly announce to you the draw of the Oceanic Internationa Lottery
Sweepstake Online Lottery International programs held on the 9th of May,
2006 in PUOTMOND GERMANY Your e-mail address attached to ticket number:
56475600545 188 with Serial number 6924/07 drew the lucky
numbers:16-4-13-24-46-2, which subsequently won you the lottery in the 2nd
category.

You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of US$2,500,000.00
(Two million,Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in cash credited
to file ktu/9023118308/03.This is from a total cash prize of US $ 25 Million
dollars,shared among the first Ten (10) lucky winners in this category.All
participants were selected randomly from World Wide Web site through
computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000 companies.

This promotion takes place annually Please note that your lucky winning
number falls within our African booklet representative office in West Africa
as indicated in your play coupon.In view of this, your US$2,500,000.00 (Two
million,Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) would be released to
you by our payment office in Africa. Our African 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 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 by some unscrupulous elements.Please be warned.

To file for your claim, please contact your fiduciary agent:

NAME: DR. John Edward
Email: johward04@yahoo.fr

To avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please quote your full
names,your country, your private Telephone and fax number, your
reference/batch numbers etc in any correspondences with us or our delivery
firm

Congratulations once more from all members and staffs of this program.Thank
you for being part of our promotional lottery program.

Sincerely,
JENNIFER WILLIAMS
CO-ORDINATOR
Oceanic International Lottery Co-ordinator.

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam