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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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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")
• 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.
  • +27839544570 (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.
  • silverstaragent@aim.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: silverstarinternational1@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 08 Nov 2006 21:54:38 +0200
Subject: SILVER STAR INTERNATIONAL

SILVER STAR INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY
P O Box 6001
PROT ELIZABETH
SOUTH AFRICA
(Customer Services)
Ref: SA/60020X2/49
Batch: 729/05/SA369
WINNING NOTIFICATION


We happily announce to you the draw (#1130) of the SILVER STAR INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY, online Sweepstakes International program held on 08/11/2006
Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: ZA4756005SA with
Serial number SA/ZA/68/06 drew the lucky numbers: 5-18-23-26-39-49(bonus no.38), which subsequently won you the lottery in the 1st category.
You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of $5,000.000.00(Five Million United State Dollars) in cash credited to
File ZA/18308/06/SA.This is from a total cash prize of $25,000.000.00
Shared among the (5) lucky winners in this category.
All participants for the online version were randomly selected 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 weekly.
Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our SOUTH AFRICA booklet
representative office in AFRICA as indicated in your play coupon. In view of this,
your $5,000.000.00(Five Million United State Dollars) would be released to you by
any of our payment offices SOUTH AFRICA.
Our 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 claims 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 form, please contact our fiduciary agent:
Mr. Pumla Edwards
Tel: +27-83-9544570
Email: silverstaragent@aim.com
Yours faithfully,
Richard K. Lloyd.
Online coordinator for SILVER STAR INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY
Sweepstakes International Program

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam