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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:
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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:
  • "huge amount of money" (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 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.
  • +27839565147 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • officelotteryconsultants@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Office Lottery Consultants <officelotteryconsultants@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:58:18 +0100 (BST)
Subject: The procedures and Mode of payment.


Attn: Mr Orbart Weiss,


Sir/Madam,

We want to quickly congratulate you and to acknowledge the receipt of your mail.

I know that winning huge amount of money of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive and excited, based on the fact that you did not participate in a lottery draw following your word.

Please be clarified that participants were selected through our computer ballot system drawn from 100.000 e-mail users around the world, which your email was among the lucky winners short listed in the draw.

Firstly, I will take necessary steps to clarify you on things that you will be requested to do in order to get your winning funds transferred accordingly, all the winning funds should be Bank-to-Bank transfer to avoid double claiming.

We have about three reputable and accredited paying banks that would effect your transfer via the mode disclosed above once your funds is legally processed, and any of the Banks to be use for the transfer, you shall be dully notified.

Meanwhile, in the preliminary step to begin your claim, these are the information's we need for further proceedings, as most will reflect in your file for record purposes.

(1) REFERENCE NUMBER:

(2) BATCH NUMBER:

(3) FULL NAME:

(4) ADDRESS:

(5) NATIONALITY:

(6) SEX AND AGE:

(7) IDENTITY NUMBER:

(8) OCCUPATION: (9) AMOUNT WON: (10) TELEPHONE AND FAX NUMBERS:
(11) BANK NAME:

(12) BANK ADDRESS:

(13) ACCOUNT NUMBER:

(14) BANK SWIFT CODE:

We would urge you to send this information's through our mailbox: officelotteryconsultants@yahoo.co.uk

Note: we emphasized on the impressiveness of this first process, as it requires urgency and immediate attention.

Call Mr. William Damborri on +27 83 956 5147 as soon as you send the required information, so that he will start working on your file.

My Sincere regards,

Mrs. Cathy Pike (Admin Sec.) U.K. National Lottery.





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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam