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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:
  • "claim 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!

Fraud email example:

From: "DR NICHOLAS POLEY" <nicho_poley2@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: n_poley1@o2.pl
Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2007 06:19:29 -0400
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Vodafone Promotions
FAZANSTRAAT C76, 3084 SX AMSTERDAM,THE NETHERLANDS

REF: VFP /345510460037/02
BATCH: 24/00173/IPD
CONGRATULATIONS

We happily announce to you TODAY the draw of the VODAFONE PROMOTIONS, online
Sweepstakes International program held on 22TH OF MARCH, 2007. Your e-mail
address attached to ticket number: 053-0148-790-459 with Serial number
7073-11 drew the lucky numbers: 93-11-74-17-37-10-43, which subsequently
won you the lottery in the 3rd category.

You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of US$ 2.5.000,000.00
(Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars) in cash credited to file
VFP/27041238013/02. This is from a total cash prize of $42.500,000.00
shared amongst 17 lucky winners in this category

All participants for the online version were selected randomly from World
Wide Web sites through computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000
unions, associations, and corporate bodies that are listed online. This
promotion takes place weekly.

Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our Africa booklet
representative office in Accra Ghana (West Africa Monetary Institutes) as
indicated in your play coupon. In view of this, your US$ 2.5.000,000.00 (Two
million, Five hundred Thousand Dollars) would be released to you by your
claim agent.

Your fund is now deposited with our corresponding bank. Our Africa agent
will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your
funds as soon as you contact him. For security reasons, you are advised to
keep your winning information confidential till your claims is processed and
your money remitted to you in whatever manner you deem fit to claim your
prize.

This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and
unwarranted abuse of this program. Please be warned. To file for your claim,
please contact your calim agent by calling him on his direct mobile line:

Dr Nicholas Poley,
Claim Agent (West Africa Monetary Institutes)
Email-n_poley1@o2.pl
(+233-244-831376).

Remember that all prize money must be claimed not later than two weeks,
otherwise, will be returned as unclaimed.

Congratulations from the staff and I of the VODAFONE PROMOTIONS.

Yours faithfully,
Dominique Filbert
Sweepstakes International Program.
Copyright © 1994-2007
All rights reserved.

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam