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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "uk national lottery" (can only win this lottery if you bought a ticket)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claims director" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
• 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: CLAIMS AGENT <uklottoclaimsdeptofficer@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 18:41:56 +0100 (BST)
Subject: HOW YOU WON


The National Lottery
PO Box 1010
Liverpool
L70 1NL
United Kingdom.
Ref: XYC /26500460037/08
Batch: 74/00319/IPD

ATTN:WINNER,

The notification you received is actually true,That you won the lottery in our Monthly online balloting system done through a computer ballot system drawn from a pool of over 25,000 names of distinguished Email addreses of professionals drawn from Europe, America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Middle-East, parts of Africa, and North & South America as part of our international promotions programme conducted twice weekly to encourage prospective overseas entries.

Your winning prize of £2,532,137 (Two million, Five hundred and Thirty Two Thousand, One Hundred and Thirty Seven pounds sterling) as ben forwarded to my office for immediate release to you.

Therefore you are required to send me the completed claims verification form sent in the winning notification to enable my office issue a cheque in your name and proper it for delivery to the address which you will provide without delay.

Congratulations once again as we remain obliged to be of service to you.

Yours Sincerely,
Mr. Smith stanford
Claims Director
Uk National Lottery International.



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam