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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")
  • "greater london" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • +447024032281 (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.
  • van_fardinard01@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "MICROSOFT WINDOW LOTTERY" <microsoftwindow_lottery@blueworld.co.za>
Reply-To: van_fardinard01@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Fri, 02 Feb 2007 16:45:13 +0200
Subject: =?US-ASCII?Q?YOU HAVE WON THE MICROSOFT WINDOWS LOTTERY OF=A3500
,000.00?=

MICROSOFT WINDOW/LOTTERY
Incoperation
Baley House, Har Road
Sutton, Greater London SM1 4te United Kingdom


This is to inform you that you have won a prize money
of(£500,000) FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND GREAT BRITAIN
POUNDS STERLINGS for the month of DECEMBER 2006
Lottery promotion which is organized by MICROSOFT
WINDOWS LOTTERY.

MICROSOFT WINDOWS, collects all the email addresses of
the people that are active online, among the millions
that subscribers.We only select five people every
Month as our winners through electronic balloting
System without the winner applying,we congratulate you
for being one of the people selected.

PAYMENT OF PRIZE AND CLAIM

You are to contact your Claims Agent on or
before your date of Claim, Winners Shall be paid in
accordance with his/her Settlement Centre.
Microsoft Windows Lottery Prize must be claimed no
later than 15 days from date of Draw Notification
after the Draw date in which Prize has won.Any prize
not claimed within this period will be forfeited.

These are your identification numbers:

Batch number.....................YM 09102XN
Reff number.......................YM35447XN
Winning number...................YM09788


These numbers fall within your Location file,you
are requested to contact EVENTS AGENT MANAGER,send
your winning identification numbers to them at this
contact address below.

(CONTACT EVENTS AGENT MANAGER)
Mr.Van Ferdinard

EMAIL:van_fardinard01@yahoo.co.uk
Phone:+447024032281

You are therefore advised to send the following
information to the EVENTS AGENT to facilitate them and
process the Claims of your money.

1. Full name..............
2. Sex..............
3. Country................
4. State.............
5. Contact Address........
6. Telephone Number.......
7. Marital Status.........
8. Occupation.............
9. Age....................
10.Nest Of Kin..........
11.Zip Code.............

Congratulations!! once again.
Yours in service,
Dr. Samual Bent
(Lottery Co-ordinator)

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam