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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.

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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million 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.
  • postiga_danmartins@myway.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Euro Seweepstakes" <eu_sweepstakes@yahoo.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: postiga_danmartins@myway.com
Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 11:56:57 +0100
Subject: Hi friend


Dear Friend,

SUBJECT:- TRANSFER OF 9. 7 MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS.

In a brief introduction, I am Mr. Postiga Dan Martins. I am the
Director Processing and Payment of Euro Millions Lottery Company based here in
Lisbon (Portugal). My office oversees all lottery payment, all payment files
are handled by this office.

In our last Christmas Sweepstakes Promotions Program held on December
25th, 2005, one of our beneficiaries did not show up for the claiming of his
prize money totaling US$9, 700, 000. All my efforts to contact him proved
abortive. I have made uncountable efforts to locate the gentleman but
all to no avail.

Our lottery payment procedures authorizes the Lottery Company to
declare this fund Unclaimed Fund if the beneficiary fails to show up for claim
within Six (6) months from the first notification.
As the Director Processing and Payment, my office has the ability to
effect changes on the beneficiary’s payment file and replace it with another
persons name. With the help of the Director of Auditing and Accounting
Department, these changes will be made legally and the money in question will be transfered smoothly without any hitch. The fund is currently
in our paying bank account with Millennium BCP Bank awaiting final payment
instruction from my office as the director of processing and payment.
I and my colleagues in the auditing and accounting are working closely
to claim this fund and we need your co-operation in this matter. Therefore
I humbly request for your permission to present you as the beneficiary of
this fund. We will provide you with all the information the bank would need
to transfer the fund into your bank account as the beneficiary.
For the success of this business you must maintain absolute
confidentiality as you can imagine what would happen to me should this business fail. I count all my trust in you hoping you will not disappoint me. Once the
transaction is over, all traceable records will be carefully deleted
from our system.

For your assistance, you will keep 30% of the total sum while 70% will
be for my colleagues and me involved in this transaction. Please contact
me urgently through my private email address ( postiga_danmartins@myway.com ) For security reasons all communication should be through email for now. I will provide you my office contact information as we progress.

Yours faithfully,
Mr. Postiga Dan Martins
Director Processing and Payments.
Euro Millions Lottery, Lisbon (Portugal)
Email:-( postiga_danmartins@myway.com ).

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam