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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:
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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:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
• 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.
  • +447040112885 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +448701340016 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "Dr. Raymond James Mehta" <drr_sj@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 21:36:32 +0000
Subject: Ref: Your Lottery Prize.

From:Dr. Raymond James Mehta,

Managing Partner,

Standard Life International.

Payment and Release Agents to:

The British Gaming Board for:

The British Gaming Board E-Lottery Programs.

 

Attention: Winner

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

Many thanks for contacting me. In response to your email, I am in position to inform you that there is an Email Lottery Program, which is being coordinated by the British Gaming Board. The concept of the Email Lottery Program is that Email Addresses would be selected at random, and a raffle would be drawn. After the raffle is drawn, the Email Address attached to electronically generated tickets with the winning numbers would be selected, and then the British Gaming Board would contact the user of this Email Address. The Lottery Prize is Two Million and Five Hundred Thousand American Dollars.

 

Therefore if the British Gaming Board has contacted you, I am in position to inform you that I am the Payment and Release agent to the British Gaming Board for the E-Lottery Program. If you have been notified about winning the Email Lottery Prize, I can assist you, but before that I would need you to provide me with your Reference and Serial Numbers. You can get this information from the British Gaming Board, if they have contacted you.

 

As soon as I receive the above from you, I would be able to advise you further on how you need to proceed. If there is anything I can do to assist you further, please do not hesitate to inform me. 

 

Yours Sincerely.

 

 

Dr. Raymond James Mehta.

Managing Partner,

Standard Life International.

Upper Floor, 124th Close,

Dublin, Ireland.

Tel: +44 7040 11 2885.

Fax: +44 8701 34 0016.

 

 

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam