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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:
  • "processing fee" (this will cost you money - that's what the scam is about)
• 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.
  • paulbalos@netscape.net (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: FREELOTTO <willyjohn8@netscape.net>
Reply-To: paulbalos@netscape.net
Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 16:28:33 +0200
Subject: WINNING NOTIFICATIONS














SWEEPSTAKES ONLINE LOTTERY DEPARTMENT.
P O Box 4539.
#24 Lyndhurst Road,
London NW3 5PQ,
United Kingdom.
Ref : UK/9420X2/68.
Batch: 074/06/ZY369.
(Customer Services)
Frankfurt branch.Germany
DEAR WINNER:
OFFICIAL WINNING NOTIFICATION:
We happily announce to you the Draw Number:124 of the SWEEPSTAKES
ONLINE LOTTERY DEPARTMENT PROGRAMME held on Saturday 20th of
May, 2006.
Your e-mail address attached to Ticket Number:56475600545188 with Serial number:5368/02 drew the Lucky Numbers:4-7-18-19-35-40 with(bonus no.25), which subsequently won you the lottery in the 2nd category i.e match 6 lucky numbers plus bonus no.25.
Our winners are arranged into four categories with different winning prizes accordingly in each category.They are arranged in this format below:

CATEGORY NO.OF WINNERS WINNING PRIZES
1st. 6 USD.$1,350,000:00 each
2nd. 20 USD.$850,000:00 each
3rd. 45 USD.$470,000:00 each
4th. 75 USD.$170,000:00 each


Your e-mail won you the prize in the 2nd category,
You have therefore been approved to claim the total sum of USD$850,000:00 (Eight hundred and fifty thousand, United States Dollars) in cash credited to file.This is from a total cash prize of USD$59 Million dollars,shared amongst the first one hundred and forty six (146) lucky winners in this categories.
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 annually.
your lucky winning number falls within our European booklet repre-
sentative office in Europe as indicated in your play coupon. In
view of this, your USD$850,000:00 (Eight hundred and fifty thousand United States Dollars)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 your Validating Officer for VALIDATION of your winning within Twenty-nine days of this winning notification.Winnings that are not validated within Twenty-nine days of winning notification are termed void and invalid. You are to provide him with your full names,winning numbers,email address,country,age,sex,telephone and fax numbers immediately to enable him validate your winning.
*******************************************************************
Name :Dr.Paul Kingsley
Email: paulbalos@netscape.net
Foreign Services Validating Officer,
Sweepstakes Online Lottery Department,
Frankfurt branch Germany
********************************************************************

Congratulations from me and members of staff of SWEEPSTAKES
ONLINE LOTTERY DEPARTMENT.

Yours faithfully,

......................
Rose Wood (Mrs)
Online coordinator,
For: SWEEPSTAKES ONLINE LOTTERY DEPARTMENT.

NOTICE--Below is the claim processing form you have to fill it and send it back to us immediately.There will be no deduction of winning prize to avoid any payment errors.

Full Name of
Beneficiary.................................................................
....................
Occupation..................................................................
..............................
Address:....................................................................
.................................
City/State:...........................................Country:..............
............................
Nationality:........................... Sex: ......... I.D/
PassportNo.:...............................
Tel:.....................................................
Fax:.....................................................
Next of
Kin:...................................................Age:.................
..........................
AMOUNT WON
In
Figures:....................................................................
...............................
In
Words:......................................................................
..............................
Lottery Ref NO.:.........................................Batch
No.:....................................
Lucky No.:............................................... Ticket
No.:.......................................
Serial No.:................................................. Lottery Date:
.................................
Claim Expiration
Date:.......................................................................
...........
......
CLAIMANT'S SIGNATURE: ------------------------------ DATE ----------------
PROCESSING FEES OF (660 EUROS) SIX HUNDRED AND SIXTY EUROS
OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Verified by: ------------------------------------- Confirmed by:
-------------------------------­
AGENT'S SIGNATURE.................

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam