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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:
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "abuja" (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 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.
  • +2348077956304 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • lotoagent@mail.md (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "AUSTRALIAN LOTTERY TECHNOLOGY" <mrshelenblake@yahoo.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: lotoagent@mail.md
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 14:43:42 +0100
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS LUCKY WINNER !!!

CONGRATULATIONS LUCKY WINNER !!!
AUSTRALIAN LOTTERY WINNING NOTIFICATION
AUSTRALIAN LOTTERY TECHNOLOGY,
Australia 9 Palmerston Crescent
South Melbourne, Victoria 3205 Australia

Congratulation! We are pleased to inform you of the result of the E-mail address ballot. Lottery draw, of the Australian International Lottery playoffs, that took place on JANUARY 2, 2006. This is a computer-generated lottery of Internet users using email addresses for draws. This lottery draw based on an electronic selection of winners using their e-mail addresses from different World Wide Web. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 275-189-657-23-05 with Serial number 8756-05 drew the lucky numbers 11 13 26 34 44 48 and bonus ball number 02, which subsequently won you the
lottery in the second category.

As the email owner, you are here by approved to claim a total sum of 1.500.000.00 UK pound starling (ONE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UK POUND STARLING) in check ref: ILP/HW 47509/02. This is from the total cash prize of 15.000,000 Million UK POUND STARLING shared amongst the first Ten (10) lucky winners in this category. All participant were selected randomly through a computer balloting system drawn from Nine hundred thousand E-mail addresses from Canada, Australia, United States, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Oceania as part of our international promotions programme which is conducted annually. This Lottery is sponsored by a conglomerate of Multinational companies, as part of their social responsibility to the citizens in countries and communities where they have operational base.

Further more your detail (e-mail address) falls within our AFRICAN representative office in Abuja, NIGERIA, as indicated in your play coupon and your prize of 1.500.000.00 UK pound starling will be released to you from the regional branch office ABUJA in NIGERIA. We hope with part of your prize, you will participate in our next year high stakes for 15.3 Billion UK POUND STARLING international draw, Our agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your fund 1.500.000.00 UK pound starling (ONE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UK POUND as soon as you contact him.

HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE: Simply contact your claims agent:
MR. DIVED STANHOPE
CELL PHONE NUMBER: + 234 8077956304
E-MAIL : lotoagent@mail.md

Please quote your reference, batch and winning number which can be found on the top left corner of this notification as well as your full name, address and telephone number to help locate your file easily. For Security reasons, we advice all winners to keep this information confidential from the public until your claim is processed and your prize money remitted/released to you. This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this programme by some unscrupulous elements, equally to guard against non participant or unofficial personnel taking undue advantage of this programme. Note that, all winnings MUST be claimed by a STIPULATED TIME(ON OR BEFORE the end of this year) otherwise all funds will be returned as Unclaimed and eventually be reabsorbed into our next lucky dip sweepstakes. Note that you have to call MR. DIVED STANHOPE (+234 8077956304) before sending your listed information to him.


Congratulations once again on your winnings!!!

Yours sincerely,

Mrs. Helen Blake

Executive Co- ordinator CT International Lottery Program.
Dr. P. Swier, Mr. Henry Spoker. Manager Foreign Operations,

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS OFFICE, MAKE SURE YOU CONTACT YOUR CLAIMS AGENT: lotoagent@mail.md ALSO MAKE SURE YOU SEND DOWN YOUR PHONE AND FAX NUMBERS TO YOUR CLAIMS AGENT FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR WINNING,BATCH AND REF NUMBERS.ANY BREACH OF CONFIDENTIALITY ON THE PART OF THE WINNERS WILL RESULT TO DISQUALIFICATION.



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam