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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:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "ho cambiato indirizzo!" (this SPAM email was sent to thousands of people)
  • "dear beneficiary," (this SPAM email was sent to thousands of people)
• 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.
  • cynthia_adams100@yahoo.it (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
  • equitycofirm@safe-mail.net

Fraud email example:

From: Cynthia Baker Adams <cynthia_adams100@yahoo.it>
Reply-To: equitycofirm@ureach.com
Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2007 14:55:39 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: THANKS FOR YOUR WINNING.


Ho cambiato indirizzo!Puoi ora scrivermi a questo indirizzo: cynthia_adams100@yahoo.it



- From Desk of the Director.International Promotions Unit,UK OVERSEAS GAMBLING BOARD, Ref:KNL/2554571156/07 Batch No:WD18/0078/07LN Zonal Draw No: DT-A2-004-875 rand Draw No: 915.MEMO FROM:THE PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT UK OVERSEAS GAMBLING BOARD {Prize Award Notification} Dear Beneficiary,Congratulations!!We happily announce to you our Category A prize winner,that You have been selected as one of the winners of our LOTTERY DRAW of the year 2007.Participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from 300,000 names from Europe,America,Asia ,Australia,New Zealand,Middle-East,Africa,and North&South America as part of our international promotions programme conducted annually to encourage prospective overseas entries.We hope with part of your prize awards,you will take part in our subsequent lottery jackpots.The result of our computer draw number 1095 of this day selected your name and email address attached to Ticket Number 034-22487901 with serial number 144 drew the lucky number:8 16 27 38 44 49 31 Ball Bonus which consequently won the lottery grand prize awards in the category A.Therefore,you have been approved a lottery jackpot lump sum prize awards winning of £3,950,280.00 (Three Million,Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand,Two Hundred and Eighty Pounds Sterling Only) in cash prize credited to file Ref.No: UKNL/2554571156/07.This is from the total prize of £38,486,220.00(Eighteen Million,Four Hundred and Eighty Six Thousand,Two Hundred and Twenty Pounds Sterlings) shared among all the lucky winners in this category as part of our promotional programme for the year 2007.Your prize awards has been insured in your name and ready for claim.To begin your claims, you are advised on final notice and as a matter of urgency,to contact our licensed and accredited claim agent for UK OVERSEAS GAMBLING BOARD Winners for the processing of your prize awards winning and payment to your designated bank account after all statutory obligations have been concluded satisfactorily.Contact thus:OVERSEAS CLAIMS UNIT.UK GAMBLING Lottery Fiduciary Agents Contact Person:Mr.Bernard Ford email:equitycofirm@Safe-mail.net Due to mix up in some numbers and names and for the purpose of confidentiality,be advised to keep this award notification as secret from public notice until your claim has been processed and your prize money remitted to your designated bank account as this is part of precautionary measures to avoid double claim or misuse of this program by some social miscreants.Hence,your prize awards winning is confidential as our winners are at liberty to remain completely anonymous until payment is effected to the benefit of the beneficiary.Our staffs are sworn to secrecy,so you will be the only one to know what you've won hence,this notification via this medium(EMAIL) to avoid interception of official letters.On a final note,you are advised to begin your claim immediately hence,all prizes awards must be claimed and disbursed within 20 days of this notification as elapse of the scheduled

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam