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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:
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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:

• 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:
  • "claim 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.
  • vartclaimagency@aim.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: loteria primitiva <prlott51@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <vartclaimagency@aim.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 21:13:06 +0200
Subject: PRIMITIVA FREE PROMOTION


PRIMITIVA FREE PROMOTIONPromotion SL,28044, Madrid Spain.
DEAR WINNER,
Following the official publication of results of E-mail electronic Online Sweepstakes organized by LOTERIA PRIMITIVA held on the 13th July, 2007, in Madrid, Spain. We happy inform you that your electronic email address emerged as one of the online winning emails in the 1st category, hence your email address was attached to a cash award of €1,550,000.00 (One million Five Hundred and Fifty Thousand only).

We write to officially notify you of this award and to advise you to contact the processing Agency immediately you are in receipt of this message for more information concerning the verification, processing and eventual payment of the prize. It is important to note that your award information was released today the 20th of July 2007 with the following particulars attached to it.
************************************************************************ {i) PRIZE WINNING NUMBER: SLEU/62331/83426/07 (ii) EMAIL TICKET NUMBER: 197/00543/IPF ************************************************************************

We advise that you contact your claim agent and send the following information:
(i) Your full names, (ii) Contact telephone and fax numbers (iii) Contact Address
(iv) Your winning numbers (v) Quote amount won.

Claim Agents Contact: VART CLAIM AGENCY CONTACT NAME: MR.ALEX DIMAS. {CLAIMS MANAGER} MADRID, SPAIN. TEL: 00 34-648 518 912. or 00 34-643 016 780 EMAIL:vartclaimagency@aim.com
Congratulations once again from all our staff and thank you for being part of our promotions program.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Vivian Rico. Promotions Coordinator.
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam