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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
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• 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:
  • "to 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)
  • "million us 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)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • euroafro_leo1@latinmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "euroafro_leo" <euroafro_leo@terra.com.mx>
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 21:34:04 -0600
Subject: ATTN:WINNING NOTIFICATION(CONGRATULATION)


EURO-AFRO SWEEPSTAKE LOTTERY NL.
BURDENSTREET 21B
1053 DS AMSTERDAM,THE NETHERLANDS.
FROM:THE DESK OF THE MANAGING DIRECTOR
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION PRIZE AWARD DEPT.
REF:HWS/2002292201/04
BATCH:19/204/JJS.

ATTN:

WINNING NOTIFICATION.

WE ARE PLEASED TO INFORM YOU ABOUT THE RELEASE OF THE EURO-AFRO SWEEPSTAKE LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS HELD ON THE 6TH OF OCTOBER 2004,YOUR NAME ATTACHED TO TICKET NUMBER:677-4834490301 WITH SERIA NUMBER 6599/04 DREW THE LUCKY NUMBERS:4-33-26-40-56- 78,WHICH
CONSEQUENTLY WON THE LOTTERY IN THE 2ND CATEGORY.

YOU HAVE THEREFORE BEEN APPROVED FOR A LUMP SUM PAY OUT OF USD$1MILLION IN CASH CREDITED TO FILE HWS/2002292201/04.THIS IS FROM A TOTAL CASH PRIZE OF USD$10MILLION SHARED AMONG THE TEN INTERNATIONAL LUCKY WINNERS IN THIS CATEGORY.

FURTHERMORE,YOUR LUCKY WINNING NUMBER FALLS WITHIN OUR AFRICAN BOOKLET REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE IN LAGOS,NIGERIA AS INDICATED IN YOUR PLAY COUPON.

IN VIEW OF THIS,YOUR USD$1,000,000.00[ONE MILLION US DOLLARS] WOULD BE RELEASED TO YOU BY OUR BANKER,UNION BANK PLC.CONGRATULATION.

YOUR FUND HAS BEEN THEREFORE DEPOSITED WITH OUR BANKER IN YOUR NAME FROM WHERE IT WOULD BE RELEASED TO YOUR NOMINATED BANK ACCOUNT.

DUE TO THE MIXED UP OF SOME NUMBERS AND NAMES,WE ASK THAT YOU KEEP THIS A TOP SECRET FROM THE PUBLIC NOTICE UNTIL YOUR CLAIM HAS BEEN PROCESSED AND YOUR MONEY REMITTED TO YOUR ACCOUNT AS THIS IS PART OF THE SECURITY PROTOCOOLS TO AVOID DOUBLE CLAIMING OR UNWARRANTED TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS PROGRAMS BY PARTICIPANTS.

ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE SELECTED THROUGH A COMPUTER BALLOT SYSTEM DRAWN FORM 25,000 COMPANY EMAIL ADDRESSES AND 30,000,000 INDIVIDUAL EMAIL ADDRESSES FROM AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, AMERICA, EUROPE, NORTH AMERICA AND ASIA AS PART OF INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS PROGRAM, WHICH IS CONDUCTED ANNUALLY.

TO BEGIN YOUR CLAIM,YOU SHOULD FIRST ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF THIS NOTIFICATION THROUGH THE ABOVE EMAIL ADDRESS. ENDEVOUR TO INCLUDE YOUR FULL RECENT CONTACT ADDRESS, TELEPHONE/FAX NUMBERS AND YOUR BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS WHERE YOU WANT THIS FUND TRANSFERED TO WHILE REPLYING THIS NOTIFICATION.

AS SOON AS YOU CONFIRM RECEIPT OF THIS NOTIFICATION,YOU SHALL BEADVISED/DIRECTED ON HOW TO CONTACT THE PAYING BANK FOR PROCESSING AND REMITTANCE OF YOUR FUND TO YOUR NOMINATED BANK ACCOUNT.

REMEMBER,ALL WINNING MUST BE CLAIM NOT LATER THAN 31 JULY 2006 AND AFTER THIS DATE ALL BE RETURNED AS UNCLAIMED.

NOTE:IN ORDER TO AVOID UNNECESSARY DELAYS AND COMPLICATIONS,PLEASE REMEMBER TO QUOTE YOUR REFERENCE AND BATCH NUMBERS IN EVERY CORRESPONDENCE.

FURTHERMORE, SHOULD THERE BE ANY CHANGE OF ADDRESS,DO INFORM US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN FROM ALL MEMBERS OF OUR STAFF AND THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF OUR PROMOTION PROGRAM.REPLY DIRECT

EMAIL:euroafro_leo1@latinmail.com

SINCERELY YOURS
MR FRANK LEO
MANAGING DIRECTOR
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION
PRIZE AWARD DEPT.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam