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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • ",000,000" (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!
• 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.
  • +447011131331 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: Karen Debbie <karen_rhlp@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 06:10:35 +0100
Subject: YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS HAS MADE YOU RICH!!!



BATCH: 2007MJL-07**********************************************************ROYAL HERITAGE LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, UNITED KINGDOM.P.O Box 1103 Denham Street, 39 Pendleton Place, Greenwich,London, SE10 0RX8.**********************************************************GAMBLING BOARD OF GREAT BRITAIN LICENSED. ONLINE BALLOT LOTTERY(Registration 70339411).REGISTERED UNDER THE DATA PROTECTION ACT.**********************************************************REF NO: RHLP/200-75600545-188BATCH: 2007MJL-07(No Ticket Sold)**********************************************************ELECTRONIC MAIL AWARD WINNING NOTIFICATION. AWARD PRESENTATION CENTER: UNITED KINGDOM**THE ROYAL HERITAGE LOTTERY PROMOTION; July,2007** Lucky Winner, We happily announce to you the draw of the ROYAL HERITAGE MEGA JACKPOT LOTTERY WINNINGS PROGRAM held on Saturday 07th July 2007. (A day of goodluck, peace and completion). Therefore you do not need to buy ticket to enter for it, as no tickets were sold. Your e-mail address attached to Reference Number: RHLP/200-75600545-188 with Serial number 76091/02 drew the lucky numbers: 19-6-26-13-2-7, which subsequently won you the lottery prize in the 3rd category. You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of ***£1,000,000.00***(One Million Pounds Sterling) in cash credited to file W2045/070707/03. Your prize award has been insured and is ready for claims. Our agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds to you as soon as you make contact with him. The funds will be transferred to you through a private offshore bank whois one of our sponsors. Contact Person:Royal Heritage Lottery Fiduciary Claims Agent.Name: Gary EdwardsEmail: gedwards_maildesk@yahoo.co.ukTel: 44 701 113 1331 Note that all participants were selected randomly (Electronically Generated) from the 'World Wide Web' site through a computer ballot system and extracted from over 100,000 company and individual addresses. All prize money must be claimed not later than two weeks (14days) after receipt of this notification. All funds not claimed on or before the fixed date will be annulled accordingly. For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information’s confidential till your claim is processed and your money transferred to your designated bank account of your choice. This is a part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by some unscrupulous elements. Please be warned. ELIGIBILITY:This promotion is offered electronically via the Internet and is open to all persons from age 18 years and above with a valid e-mail address. Principals and employees of the Royal Heritage Lottery International and its respective subsidiaries, and their immediate families are not eligible to partake in this promotion. CONGRATULATIONS ONCE AGAIN FROM ALL MEMBERS AND STAFF OF ROYAL HERITAGE LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL !!!.

YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS HAS MADE YOU RICH!!! Truly Yours, Mrs. Karen Debbie.
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam