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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.

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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")
• 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.
  • powerballoto@iol.pt (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Ms.Margaret Ferguson" <powerballl57@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <postmails33@vip.163.com>
Date: Tue, 15 May 2007 13:08:47 +0000
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WINNING



CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WINNINGBatch No: WD18/0105/05RNYour Ref: UKNL/255457014/07Our Ref: UK-NL/0701/07 FROM THE OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENTPOWERBALL EURO E-MAIL INTERNATIONALPROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPTBatch No: WD18/0105/05RNYour Ref: UKNL/255457014/07Our Ref: UK-NL/0701/07 WINNING NOTIFICATIONThis is to inform you of the release of the E-MAIL LOTTERY BALLOT INTERNATIONAL/WORLD GAMING BOARD.Your email attached to ticket number 219028657434 with Serial number 918735625 drew the lucky numbers of 21 -70-81- 82- 99,which consequently won the lottery in the 1st category. You have therefore been approved for a lump sum payment of one million Pounds(1,000,000.00 pounds) only, which is deposited with the Flex Securities and creditors,london-uk in your favor as beneficiary and covered with HIGH INSURANCE POLICY.It is important that you keep your winning confidential to avoid people garnering your information and subsequently making claim with your winning paraphernalia information’s,POWERBALL EURO E-MAIL INTERNATIONAL will decline payment if such irregularity occurs. All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from only Microsoft users from over 20,000.00 companies and 3,000,000.00 individual email addresses from all over the world.
To begin your lottery claim, please contact our agent below that have been appointed for the processing of your claim with your contact email address,telephone and fax number to begin the processing of your payment. ELIGIBILITY:This promotion is offered only electronically via the Internet and is open to all persons from age 18 years and above with a valid email address Principals and employees of POWERBALL EURO E-MAIL INTERNATIONAL Promos and its respective Parents, subsidiaries and their immediate families are not eligible.
CLAIMS PROCEDURES: It is our standard practice to allocate accredited agents for the processing of claims application. It is even more imperative for overseas winners. To begin your claims therefore, you are advised as a matter of urgency, to contact the under listed licensed and accredited claims agent for the processing of your prize awards winning. Therefore all protocols laid down by them must be followed to facilitate your claims;Send your full name,email address,phone and fax number to our accredited agent; CONTACT NAME: James BenCITY/ COUNTRY: LONDON, ENGLAND.EMAIL: powerballoto@iol.pt (1) Being one of the lucky winners, you constitute entrant's full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of our terms and conditions of claims to avoid any discrepancy in the cause of payment of your prize awards winning.(2) To avoid double claims, you are advised to keep your winning details very confidential, as any discrepancies resulting from a breach of this confidentiality onthe part of the winners will be covered solely by such winner as our staffs are bound by the oath of secrecy taken on employment.
Once again, Congratulations from all our staffs and thank you for being part of our Promotions program. Sincerely,
Margaret FergusonCo-coordinator.
NB: PLEASE SEE THAT YOU QUOTE YOUR REF AND BATCH NUMBERS IN YOUR CORRESPONDING TO YOUR CLAIMS AGENT.
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam