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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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "into your nominated bank account" (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 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.
  • +27833619933 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: william pedro <afro_euro_agent@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 06:49:49 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Response/call me.


Dear VICTIM-FULLNAME,

We wish to congratulate you and formally inform you that you have won
the sum of $820,000,00 (Eight Hundred And Twenty Thousand Us Dollars)
in the last email-lottery draw, organized by INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT.

We have confirmed the above winning. You should note that your email address in addition to millions of company and individual email were extracted with a software and the addresses were scrutinized with a ballot system and after the processes, Your email addresses were selected and they were shared respectively and which you are a winner of $820 Thousand.

The said sum is now deposited in our suspense account in your favor waiting for the immediate remittance into your nominated bank account. Be informed that your winning prize has a hardcover insurance policy that makes it impossible to make any deduction of any kind, until the sum is finally credited into your designated account.

This firm on behalf of INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT.Will issue an Irrevocable Guarantee of Payment Bond (IGPB) in your favor, thereby securing the above prize money. A copy of the IGPB will be forwarded to our paying bank for immediate action. Following the above, you are expected to fill the following information’s form and send it back to this office along with a copy of your identification for vetting process which is a standard practice just to ensure that we are dealing with the right individual and account.

This process is vital and urgent following the instruction from our Payment center that all prize money should be claimed as soon as possible. Once again accept our congratulations and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

The information’s needed are as follows:
Your names in full,
Your current Address,
Your bank account details as follow.
Name of the bank, account number, branch number, swift code.
Address of the bank, Tel/fax number of the bank and the beneficiary name.

Once the above requested information are received, an application will be send on your behalf to the bank through my office for immediate approval and payment of your winning fund. Please call me for more oral discussion immediately you receive this mail.

Best Regards,
Mr. William Pedro,
Phone+27 83 361 9933.








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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam