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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "international lottery programme" (no such lottery exists)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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.
  • +2348033486537 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • directorclaimsverification@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: AUSTRALIA LOTTO <conau09@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:56:05 +0100
Subject: WINNING NOTIFICATION CONGRATULATIONS!!!


FROM: THE DESK OF THE VICE PRESIDENT INTERNATIONAL
PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARDS DEPARTMENT AUSTRALIAN
INTERNATIONAL SWEEPSTAKE LOTTERY COPORATION

ELECTRONIC MAIL AWARD WINNING NOTIFICATION
AWARD PRESENTATION CENTER: AUSTRALIA
Date: 20/07/2007
Ref: 475061725
Batch: 7056490902/188
Winning no: GB8701/LPRC:

RE: WINNING NOTIFICATION CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are delighted to inform you of your prize release
on the 20th July 2007 from the Australian International
Lottery programmed. Which is fully based on electronic
selection of winners using their e-mail addresses
from some site. Your email address was attached to
ticket number; 17212, serial number 7741137002. This
batch draws the lucky numbers as follows 8382-42-bonus
number 17,which consequently won the lottery in the
second category. You hereby have been approved a lump
sum pay of US$270,000.00 (TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY
THOUSAND DOLLARS) in cash credit file ref: ILP/HW
47509/02 from the total cash prize shared amongst
eight lucky winners in this category.

All participant were selected through a computer
balloting system drawn from Nine hundred thousand
E-mail addresses from Canada, Australia, United
States, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Oceania
as part of our international promotions program which
is conducted annually. This Lottery was promoted and
sponsored by a conglomerate of some multinational
companies as part of their social responsibility to
the citizens in the communities where they have
operational base. Further more your details (e-mail
address) falls within our European representative
office in Amsterdam, Holland, as indicated in your
play coupon and your prize of US$270,000.00 will be
released to you from this regional branch office in
NIGERIA. We hope with part of your prize, you will
participate in our end of year high stakes for US$1.3
Billion international draw.

HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE: Simply contact our fiducially
agent DIRECTOR, DR. LEO STEVE AT
directorclaimsverification@yahoo.co.uk to file for
your claim. Please quote your reference, batch and
winning number, which can be found on the top left
corner of this notification as well as your full name,
address and telephone number to help locate your file
easily. For security reasons, we advice all winners to
keep this information confidential from the public
until your claim is processed and your prize released
to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid
double claiming and unwarranted taking advantage of
this programmed by non-participant or unofficial
personnel.

Note, all winnings MUST be claimed before the 30th of
July 2007; otherwise all funds will be returned as
unclaimed and eventually donated to charity
organization.

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.

CONTACT YOUR CLAIMS AGENT AT
directorclaimsverification@yahoo.co.uk
ANY BREACH OF CONFIDENTIALITY ON THE PART OF THE
WINNERS WILL RESULT TO DISQUALIFICATION.

HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE:

Simply contact your claims agent DIRECTOR, DR.LEO
STEVE AT directorclaimsverification@yahoo.co.uk by
filling this form below and send it to him to file for
your claim. TELL: +234-803-348-6537

FULLNAME..............................
BIRTH DATE..........................
ADDRESS.............................
SEX......................................
AGE......................................
NATIONALITY.........................
OCCUPATION..........................
TELEPHONE...........................
EMAIL...............................
DATE................................

Please quote your reference, batch and winning number
which can be found on the top left corner of this
notification as well as your full name, address and
telephone number to help locate your file easily.

ANYONE BELOW EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS OF AGE CAN MAKE
HIS/HER CLAIM IN PROXY THROUGH EITHER OF THE PARENTS
AND DO INFORM THE AGENT INCHARGE.

Congratulations once again on your winnings!!!

Best Regards,
Mrs. Nancy Viduka. (Coordinator)
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam