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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
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• 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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• 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: MS AWARD DEPARTMENT <mscorporations@web.de>
Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 13:54:35 +0100
Subject: {Disarmed} ELECTRONIC MAIL AWARD WINNING NOTIFICATION


*MICROSOFT CORPORATION WORLD LOTTERY
**MOTTO: FIGHTING POVERTY ROUND THE WORLD
**E-MAIL PROMOTIONS INTERNATIONAL PRIZE AWARD
UNITED KINGDOM.61-70 Southampton Row Bloomsbury <?xml:namespace prefix = u1 /><u1:City u2:st="on"><u1:place u2:st="on"><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</u1:place></u1:City></st1:place></st1:City> United Kingdom WC1B 4AR.

**REFERENCE NO: MSW-L/200-26937
BATCH NO: 887-13-865-37-10-83
LUCKY WINNING NUMBERS: 34 48 25 17 03 02**

ELECTRONIC MAIL AWARD WINNING NOTIFICATION AWARD PRESENTATION CENTER UNITED KINGDOM

Dear Winner,

Microsoft Corporation Management Worldwide are pleased to inform you that you are a winner of our Annual MS-World Lottery conducted in Europe being the host of the event for this present year Mega Jackpot Lotto Winning Program held on 9th March, 2007. *** *Congratulations!!! Congratulations!!! Congratulations!!!

Your personal E-Mail Address or Company's E-mail was attached to this years MSWLL. with **Serial No. S/N-00168** drew the **lucky numbers 34 48 25 17 03 02** and consequently won in the first lottery category. You have therefore been approved for lump sum of **(946,924.56 euros) Nine Hundred and Fourty Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty Four Euros, Fifty Six Cents)** payable in or check credited to file **Ref. No. MSW-L/200-26937.** This is from total prize money of 50,000,000 Euros, shared among the Fifty (50) Lucky International Winners in first and second category. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>**<o:p

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam