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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:
  • "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.
  • +447031913991 (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.
  • franksmith1@unionplus.net (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "FRANK SMITH" <frank-smith30@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007 08:43:19 +0000
Subject: Winning Notification

"SOUTHERN SUN INTERNATIONAL"

FROM: THE DESK OF THE DIRECTOR
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT.
HEADQUARTERS: 1A BEXON COURT CARLTON NOTTINGHAM SHIRE NOTTINGHAM NG4
1SQ ESSEX UNITED KINGDOM.

REF NUMBER: OSL/653/1029/03
BATCH NUMBER: AT-040-SB06-03
AWARD NOTIFICATION
Southern Sun Finance Lottery of British International Lottery Program wishes
to inform your email account emerged as one of the winners of our recent
lottery draws. Your email account was therefore selected as a winner
of One Million Five Hundred and Thousand British Pounds Sterling Only
(£1,500,000.00).
This result is now made available to you and your email address attached to
ticket number 27522465896-532 with serial number 652-662 drew lucky number
7-14-18-23-31-45, which consequently won you the 2nd category. Participants
were selected through a computerized ballot system drawn from company and
individual email addresses users.
We advice that you keep your winning information confidential until your
claims has been processed and your money released to you. This is part of
our security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this
program. For the release of your winnings, kindly contact your claims agent
with the following details to expedite the processing of your prize winning.

1. Full name and address
2. Country of Residence
3. Tel and fax number
4. Occupation and Age

To begin your claim, please contact our Claim Manager at the International
Claim Department immediately with the following address below. All winning
must be claimed not later than two weeks from the date of receipt of this
email. After this date all prize-winning will be treated as Unclaimed.

Mr.Frank Smith
Claims Manager
Overseas Subscribers Agent
Email Lottery Promotion Regional Office
62AIslip Road Kent
LondonOX2 7SP
Untied Kingdom
Tel: +44 703 191 3991

Email: franksmith1@unionplus.net

Note in order to avoid unnecessary delays; remember to quote your Reference
and Batch numbers in all correspondence.
Congratulations for emerging the lucky winner from all our staff.

Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. Mercy Wilkinson
Information and Promotion
Manager

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam