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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "million united states dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
• 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 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.
  • petangel54@yahoo.com

Fraud email example:

From: aishat becky betrand <prettybbecky@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:00:31 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: URGENT


<http://www.guinness.com/> <http://www.guinness.com/>
GUINNESS® CUSTOMERS PROMOTION
Dv -2007 program
Guinness pl c, South Africa.
St Christos road (Sun City)

FINAL_ NOTIFICATION.
We happily inform you about our (Guinness® national lottery program)held on the 22nd of January 2007, which you as a dependent client and finally took the 1st position in our second category winners, that falls within the west Africa region. Your email was attached to the ticket number(44-40-23-777-01) which made you a winner of US$10,000,000.00 (Ten MillionUnited States Dollars) and your name being recorded in our Guinness world book of record as the 1st lucky winner of the year 2007. You have been approved the sum of US$10,000,000.00 (Ten Million United States Dollars) which will be sent across to you through a Guinness draft immediately. All emails are selected randomly through a computer ballot which subsequently won you the sweep take of Guinness internet web lottery.
CONGRATULATIONS YOU EMERGED OUR WINNER!!!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
This is part of our security measures to avoid double claiming or unwarranted taking advantage of the situation by other participant or impersonators.
Here is our fiduciary agent responsible for your winning claims.
MR PETER ANGEL
EMAIL:PETANGEL54@YAHOO.COM
GUINNESS® CLAIMING SECURITY AGENT.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = == == = = =
You are required to forward the following details to help facilitate the processing of your GUINNESS® CLAIMS OF CERTIFICATE.
Full names
Residential address
Phone number
Occupation
Sex
Age
Present country
Marital status.
ONCE AGAIN CONGRATULATION!!!!
Yours sincerely
Mr.Crawford Bern
GUINNESS®CUSTOMERS PROMOTION.

WARNING!!!! WARNING!!!!
KEEP THIS INFORMATION CONFIDENTIAL AND BE CAREFULL OF SCAM MAILS


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam