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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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")
• 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.
  • +27834043817 (South Africa, 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.
  • claims_lottery2001@yahoo.ca (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: lottery british <lottery_british4@yahoo.ca>
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 05:43:01 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: WINNING NOTIFICATION


SWEEPSTAKES ONLINE LOTTERY DEPARTMENT.
P O Box 4539.
#24 Lyndhurst Road,
HIGHLAND NORTH,
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA.
(Customer Services)

ATTN: WINNER,

WINNING NOTIFICATION:
We happily announce to you the draw (#942) of the SWEEPSTAKES ONLINE LOTTERY DEPARTMENT PROGRAMME held on 1st of March, 2006.
Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 56475600545188 with Serial number 5368/02 drew the lucky numbers:4-6-9-12-15-40 with(bonus no.25), which subsequently won you the lottery in the 2nd category i.e match 6 lucky numbers plus bonus no.25.
Our winners are arranged into three categories with different winning prizes accordingly in each category. They are arranged in this format below:
CATEGORY NO.OF WINNERS WINNING PRIZES
1st. 6 USD.$850,000.00 each
2nd. 20 USD.$550,000.00 each
3rd. 64 USD.$270,000.00 each
Your email won you the prize in the 2nd category, you have therefore been approved to claim the total sum of USD$550,000.00 (Five hundred and fifty thousand, United States Dollars) in cash credited to file. This is from a total cash prize of USD$35 Million dollars, shared amongst the first Ninety (90) lucky winners in this categories.
All participants for the online version were selected randomly from World Wide Web sites through computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000 unions, associations, and corporate bodies that are listed online. This promotion takes place monthly.

Your lucky winning number falls within our Booklet representative office in South Africa as indicated in your play coupon. In view of this, your USD$550,000.00 (Five hundred and fifty thousand United States Dollars) will be released to you by our payment office South Africa.

Our South Africa agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds as soon as you contact him.
For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential till your claim is processed and your money remitted to you in whatever manner you deem fit to claim your prize.

This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program. Please be warned.

To file for your claim, contact your Validation Officer for VALIDATION of your winning within eight days of this winning notification. Winnings that are not validated within eight days of winning notification are termed void and invalid.

*******************************************************************
Name : Dr. Themba Williams
Email: claims_lottery2001@yahoo.ca
Claims Agent,
Normam, Bissett & Associates (Pty) Ltd.
Johannesburg, South Africa.
Tel.Phone:+27-83-404-3817
********************************************************************
Endeavour to email him your full names, winning numbers, email address, telephone and fax numbers immediately to enable him validate your winning.

Congratulations from me and members of staff of SWEEPSTAKES ONLINE LOTTERY DEPARTMENT.
Yours faithfully,
...............................
Jeniffer Smith.(Mrs)
Online coordinator,
For: SWEEPSTAKES ONLINE LOTTERY DEPARTMENT.

NOTE:Please dont reply to this email.



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam