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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "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.
  • +447031972941 (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.
  • ellyn_yasbeck@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: VIRGIN INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY <m.rice@virgin.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2006 20:18:13 +0100
Subject: Winner

VIRGIN INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY
www.Virgininternationallottery.org
www.virgin.com
Ref Number: VLTT/34173HPG/GRCC
Category: 2B
Winning Number: 08 15 30 31 34 43 40
Batch Number: ATP/44863214257/3445328/511

Hello,

Congratulations! We happily announce to you the draws of the Virgin Promotional Lottery Programme
sponsored by European Lotteries and recently held in The United Kingdom in which you and five (5)
provisional winners were selected as winners under draw number 50.

Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 08-04-33-38-BL-AU drew the lucky numbers: 08 15 30 31
34 43 40, which subsequently won you the lottery in Category 2B. All participants were selected randomly
through computer ballot draw system and from 150,000 individuals as part of our international promotions
program conducted annually to encourage prospective overseas entries. You have therefore been
granted provisional approval to claim a total sum of 1,500, 000.00 Pounds (One Million, Five Hundred
Thousand British Pounds only) as your winning prize.

This is from a total prize pool of 8,000,000.00 Pounds. You have the options of being paid by cash,
certified bank draft or Swift Telegraphic Transfer.For lucky winners, it is our standard practices to allocate
accredited claims agents for the processing of claim application and payment of prize winnings to the
benefit of beneficiaries after all modalities have been completed satisfactorily.

Due to mix up in some numbers and names the results of the draw were withheld and released today. For
the purpose of security you are therefore strongly advised to keep this award notification secret from
public notice until your claim has been processed and your prize money paid as this is part of our security
protocol to avoid duplicity of claims or misuse of this programme by miscreants and hackers. Thus,your
prize award winning is confidential as our winners are at liberty to remaincompletely anonymous until
payment is effected to the benefit of the beneficiary. Our staff are sworn to secrecy, so you will be the
only one to know what you have won.

To begin your claims therefore, you are advised on final notice and as a matter of urgency, to contact our
licensed and accredited claim agent for Overseas Lucky Winners for the processing of your prize awards
winning and payment after all statutory obligations have been concluded satisfactorily.

To file for your claim,Contact the under-listed institution by phone, fax or email for your application to be
submitted and
processed for payment thus:

CONTACT PERSON:
MS. ELLYN YASBECK,
INVESTICA CONSULTANTS.
Address: The Beeches, Upper Hasfield, Gloucester, GL19 4LD
Tel: +44-7031972941
Tel: +44-7031972766
Tel: +44-207-060-0312
Facsimile: +44 20-7060-0319
Personal Email: ellyn_yasbeck@yahoo.co.uk

You are adviced to provide Ellyn Yasbeck of INVESTICA CONSULTANTS with the details below:

1.FULL NAMES:
2.ADDRESS:
3.AGE:
4.OCCUPATION:
5.NATIONALITY:
6.TEL/FAX:
7.EMAIL:

In line with this, your 1,500,000.00 Million Pounds will be paid to you upon confirmation and clarification
by our claims agent who will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your winnings
as soon as you contact her. Do please quote your Draw, Reference and Winning numbers in any
correspondence with our designated agent. Also include your telephone number(s) when contacting the
agent.

Congratulations once more from all members and staff of this programme and thank you for being part of
our promotional lottery programme.

N.B. Should there be any changes in address do inform our agent as soon as possible. Do not send your
response to this e-mail account,Please contactthe institution above for further information. All UK
residents and Anybody under the age of 18 are automatically disqualified

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam