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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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.

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:
  • "money laundering" ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "affidavit " (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• 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: Nikolaos Kanakis <infodesk2020@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2007 14:29:43 +0100 (BST)
Subject: ATTN: Ref number: FL/04/736207104/UK(Fill your claims form


Attn: Luki Am

Dear Winner,

In the notification sent to you it was clearly stated how you came to be selected I will have to copy and past that part of the notification for clearer understanding,

"YOUR PERSONAL E-MAIL OR YOUR COMPANY E-MAIL ADDRESS WAS ATTACHED TO MSWLL. WITH Email ticket number: FL754/22/76 DREW THE Winning numbers:
37-13-43-85-67-32, AND CONSEQUENTLY WON THE LOTTERY IN THE FIRST
CATEGORY.YOU HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR LUMP SUM OF $1,000,000.00 (ONE
MILLION GB POUNDS) PAYABLE IN CASH CREDITED TO FILE WITH Ref number:
FL/04/736207104/UK. THIS IS FROM TOTAL PRIZE MONEY OF $10,000,000.00
GB POUNDS, SHARED AMONG THE TEN (10) LUCKY INTERNATIONAL WINNERS IN FIRST AND
SECOND CATEGOERY.

ALL PARTICIPANT WERE SELECTED FROM WORLD WIDE WEBSITES ESPECIALLY YAHOO
MAIL THROUGH OUR MICROSOFT COMPUTER BALLOT SYSTEM DRAWN FROM 21,000
NAMES,AND 3,000 NAMES FROM EACH CONTINENT(CANADA, ASIA, AUSTRALIA,
UNITED STATES, EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA, AND OCEANIA, AS PART OF OUR
INTERNATIONAÑ E-MAIL PROMOTIONS PROGRAM WHICH IS CONDUCTED ANNUALLY FOR
OUR PROMONET MICROSOFT WORD USERS ALL OVER THE WOLRD AND TO ENCOURAGE
THE USE OF INTERNATE AND COMPUTERS WORLDWIDE."

You have to note that once you have completed all the procedures of securing your winning, you will be issued the original copy of your winning certificate, together with a covering document (Money Laundering protection and Letter of Affidavit for Claims) from the British government stating that the money was obtained legally through the FREE LOTTO COMPANY, so you have nothing to worry over the EU MONITARY Laws.
Once again I would urge you to fill the claims form so that verification can be carried out and if successful your winning will be sent immediately to the couriere for onward shipment.

Congratulation.



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam