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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:
  • "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.
  • +447024081680 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
  • +448704712317 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • southsunl@winning.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
  • southsunl@aim.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: southsunl@aim.com
Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:55:12 -0800
Subject: PROCESS YOUR WINNING CLAIMS

FROM: THE DESK OF THE DIRECTOR
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT.

HEADQUARTERS: 1A BEXON COURT CARLTON NOTTINGHAM SHIRE NOTTINGHAM
NG4 1SQ ESSEX UNITED KINGDOM.


REF NUMBER: OSL/653/1029/03
BATCH NUMBER: AT-040-SB06-03

REPLY TO: southsunl@winning.com

AWARD NOTIFICATION

Graceland Finance /Southern Sun Lottery of British International Lottery Program
wishes to inform your email account emerged as one of the winners of our recent
lottery draws. Your email account was therefore selected as a winner of One
Million Five Hundred and Thousand British Pounds Sterling Only (£1,500,000.00).

This result is now made available to you and your email address attached to
ticket number 27522465896-532 with serial number 652-662 drew lucky number
7-14-18-23-31-45, which consequently won you the 2nd category. Participants were
selected through a computerized ballot system drawn from company and individual
email addresses users.

We advice that you keep your winning information confidential until your claims
has been processed and your money released to you. This is part of our security
protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program. For
the release of your winnings, kindly contact your claims agent with the
following details to
expedite the processing of your prize winning.

1. Full name and address
2. Country of Residence
3. Tel and fax number
4. Occupation and Age

To begin your claim, please contact our Claim Manager at the International Claim
Department immediately with the following address below. All winning must be
claimed not later than two weeks from the date of receipt of this email. After
this date all prize-winning will be treated as Unclaimed.

Mr. Joseph Brown
Claims Manager
Overseas Subscribers Agent
Email Lottery Promotion Regional Office
62AIslip Road Kent
LondonOX2 7SP
Untied Kingdom
Tel: +44 702 408 1680
Fax: +44 870 471 2317
Email: southsunl@aim.com
southsunl@winning.com

Note in order to avoid unnecessary delays; remember to quote your Reference and
Batch numbers in all correspondence.

Congratulations for emerging the lucky winner from all our staff.

Yours Sincerely,

Mrs. Mercy Wilkinson
Information and Promotion
Manager

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam