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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:
  • "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.
  • +447031940464 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +447031850307 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +448704792762 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +448704715282 (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.
  • bruceandersonlondon@yahoo.co.uk
  • bruceanderson2006@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: britluckiwin1@hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 12:05:00 +0200
Subject: WINNING NOTIFICATION!!!


From: Mr. Clifford Blair
British National Lottery
Headquarters: 1a, Bexon Court Carlton
Nottingham shire Nottingham NG4 1SQ Essex
United Kingdom Customer Service: 580 NCA 85914
Ref No: EAASL/9410Y1/04 Batch No: 12/25/dc34
www.Virgininternationallottery.org
www.virgin.com
Tel: +44 7031940464
Fax: +44 870479 2762

Dear sir/ madam

This is to announce today Monday 20th of November 2006 result of our end of the year BRITISH NATIONAL LOTTERY GAME PROMOTION held in LONDON on Saturday 18th of Novemver October 2006.
Your email address attached to ticket number 05-765204AC; with serial number 00349 draw the lucky numbers 5-9-31-20, and consequently won the lottery in category "C"
You are therefore entitled to a cash award US$1,500,000 (One Million, Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars),
File REF NO. MLI/SMA/2005-001. This is from total prize money of US$22, 000,000.00 shared among the international winners in our category "C"
All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from 15,000 company email addresses and 35,000,000 individual email addresses from across the Globe as part of International Promotional Program, which is conducted annually.
Due to the mix up of some email addresses, 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.
This lottery program was organized by our group of philanthropist promoted and sponsored by Mr. Bill Gates of Microsoft Inc, eminent personalities like the sultan of Brunei, Multi Choice and other corporate Organisations.
This lottery program was organized to improving the use of computer softwares and for the benefit of every Microsoft user.
To begin the claims processing of your prize winnings you are advised to contact our licensed and accredited african claims agent for category "C" winners with the information below:

Name: BRUCE ANDERSON
Phone:+44-703 185 0307
Fax: +44-870 471 5282
E mail : bruceandersonlondon@yahoo.co.uk/ bruceanderson2006@yahoo.co.uk

Please be informed that all winning must be claimed on or before 30th of November 2006.
To avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please quote your reference/batch numbers in any correspondences with our designated agents or us.
Congratulations once more from all members and staffs of this program that has successfully won this competition.
Thank you for being part of our promotional lottery program

Mr. Alexandra Davis
United Kingdom zonal Secretary General.
Thank you for your co-operation.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam