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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:

• 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:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
• 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.
  • +447011137888 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • jspencer@london.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "National Lottery Online Draw" <uknl02@hotmail.co.uk>
Reply-To: jspencer@london.com
Date: Tue, 03 Oct 2006 10:37:27 +0100
Subject: Prize Award

====All emails should be send to the fiduciary agent===

The National Lottery
PO Box 1010
Liverpool
L70 1Nl

International Prize Award Department
Ref: UKAS/31977/OCT


We are pleased to inform you of the announcement today of winners of
the national lottery online program. You / your company,
attached to Ticket number 563-6309-2006-265, with serial number
E486-32 drew the lucky Numbers: 7, 18, 24, 25, 40, 44, and consequently
won in category B. This program is sponsor by Microsoft Network and
YAHOO! Inc.

You have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay of £1,000,000.00
British pounds in cash credited to file Ref: UKAS/31977/OCT. This
is from total prize money of £15,000,000.00 shared among the 15
International winners in category "B".

All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn
from 30,000 names from Australia, New Zealand, America, Asia, Europe,
USA and North America as part of our International promotions program,
This is conducted every month.


Your fund is now deposited with the finance and security section. Due
to the mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep this
award strictly from public notice until your claim has been processed
and your money remitted to your account. This is part of our security
protocol to avoid double claiming or unscrupulous acts by participants
of this program.

To begin your claim, please contact your claims officer immediately:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jack Spencer
Claim Agent
Tel: +44 701113 7888
Email: jspencer@london.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Note: in order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications,
Please remember to quote your reference number in every one of your
correspondences with your officer. Furthermore, should there be any
change of your address, do inform your claims officer as soon as
possible.

Congratulations again from all our staff and thank you for being part of
our promotions program.


Diana Gibson
Online Coordinator
The National Lottery

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam