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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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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "transfer of your funds" (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!

Fraud email example:

From: online claimdepartment <onlineclaimdpt@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 22:40:21 +0100 (BST)
Subject: LOTTERY WINNER.


IDENTIFICATION NUMBER:CPEL/OWN/9876.

Dear Winner,

I am in reciept of your mail.

Your uneasy to beleive this is unexplainable and I have done all i need to do as a Fiduciary Agent and it will be the Bank that will now Transfer your Funds to your Bank Account that you will send to the Bank,as they did for other Winners,as you are not the only Winner in this edition of Lottery and that is why we do advice winners to Call our Offioce for Confirmation.

Hope you are in contact with the Bank already for the Transfer of your Funds,as we are about to commence on a new Edition of Lottery this week,that is why i have to respond to your Mail this Time,as we ensuring that Winners Finalise their Claim from the Bank this week for their Good.


NOTE:Keep me posted untill you have claimed your winning prize from the Bank for record purpose.

Once again Congratulations.

Best Regards,
Mr Williams Woods
Fiduciary Agent Uk Lottery




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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam