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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
• Support our efforts to stop scams!
  
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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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:

• 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!

Fraud email example:

From: JOHN ROYSTON <microsoft.claimsremittance@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Sat, 16 Dec 2006 01:18:07 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: PLEASE DO REPLY ASAP


Dear Leonore Traugen,

Sorry I dont know anyone from Malawi, I am only a claims agent for the 2006 edition of Microsoft Mega Jackpot XMas Promo. Your personal e-mail address, attached to
winning number 23-76-06-54-42-100, with serial number 647489, consequently won in the Tenth promo category.

You are therefore been approved for lump sums pay out of GBP 1,500,000.00 POUNDS ($2,914,188.73 USD) in cash Credited to file REF NO: MSW/56B-672GH/L and winning number 23-76-06-54-42-100, this is from total prize money of GBP 37,500,000.00 POUNDS, shared among the Twenty five (25)international winners in this category.

Your e-mail address was gotten through our Microsoft computer ballot system (MCBS)drawn form 42,000 Names, 6,000 names from each continent, as part of International "X-MAS" Promotions Program, for our prominent MS WORD user all over the world, and for the
Continuous use of E-mail.

So please feel free to send me your detials as required below, and the choice of delivery you want us to use in delivering your won prize to you. Here are the required details we need:

1. FULL NAMES:
2. NATIONALITY:
3. DATE OF BIRTH:
4. SEX:
5. MARITAL STATUS:
6. CONTACT ADDRESS:
7. TELEPHONE NUMBER:
8. OCCUPATION:
9. WINNING E-MAIL ADDRESS:
10.REF/ BATCH NUMBERS:
11.TOTAL AMOUNT WON:
12. PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Below here are the delivery options:


1. COURIER DELIVERY (HANDLED BY GLOBAL EXPRESS COURIER)
2. BANK TRANSFER (HANDLED BY HSBC BANK )


Best Regards,

Mr. John Royston


Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam