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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:
  • "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 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.
  • +447031835753 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: tagged claims dept <tagged_2000@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 23:37:13 +0100 (BST)
Subject: RE: FROM DR DAVID WEST


Dear Ms Loyce,

I must take the time to warn you about sending misdirectional emails over the internet for it exposes you to internet fruad and most importantly,if someone else applies with the same Ref. and Batch numbers as yours then your claims or winning will be disqualify.

I have read through your letter and made comparison and it was indeed sent from TAGGED CLAIMS DEPT. I need more time to file your claims to the relevant departments and I would like you to provide the necesary information.

We Congratulate you on your winning , as company policy and due to the bulk number of request we are processing. We request that you keep your winning informations confidential. To enable us file in your name for payment, please do provide the following informations:

1,YOUR FULL NAMES:..................................................................................................

2,YOUR SEX:......................................................................................................

3,YOUR AGE:........................................................................................................

4,YOUR ADDRESS:....................................................................................................

5,YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER:...................................................................................

6,YOUR FAX NUMBER:..................................................................................................

7,YOUR OCCUPATION:.................................................................................................

8,YOUR COMPANY'S NAME:.........................................................................................

9,YOUR REF NUMBER..................................................................................................

Please I'd like to know how you want to receive your prize winnings of £1,000.000.00 Pounds Sterling(GBP), choose from the following medium.

1,By Cheque/Draft
2,Bank Wire Transfer.

Provide the following immediately so we can start processing your payment. Once again congratulations.

Best Regards,
DR. DAVID WEST
Tel: +44 703 183 5753
Claims Agent.

NOTE: PLEASE FORWARD THE ORIGINAL NOTIFICATION LETTER SENT TO YOU ALONG



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam