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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:
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "million dollars" (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)
  • "hundred thousand u.s dollars" (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)
  • ",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)
  • "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • +2348072201421 (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.
  • mrthomasgreenlink0@yahoo.com
  • mrthomasgreenlink@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
  • mrthomasgreenlink@yahoo.it (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "SHELL PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY" <shelllotto08@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Aug 2007 16:31:29 +0100
Subject: CONGRATULATION YOU HAVE WON$500,000,00DOLLAR IMMIDIAT RESPONCE NEEDED


*CONGRATULATION YOU HAVE WON$500,000,00DOLLAR IMMIDIAT RESPONCE NEEDED* **
* SHELL PETROLEUM LOTTERY WINNING NOTIFICATION
IN COLLARBORATION
WITH SHELL PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY
{SPDC}AND BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY.
9 Palmerston Crescent
South Melbourne, Victoria 3205
Australia <http://money.cnn.com/2004/02/20/images/flash/shell.03.jpg>
Ref: 575061725
Batch: 8056490902
Winning no: KB8701

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
*
**
**
*Dear Winner,*
**
*We are delighted to inform you of the result of the E-mail address ballot
lottery draw of the shell petroleum international lottery programme,which
took place on the this month .This is a computer generated lottery of
Internet users using email addresses for draws.This lottery draw is fully
based on an electronic selection of winners using their e-mail addresses
from different World Wide Web(www)sites.Your e-mail address attached to
ticket number:275-189-657-23-05 with Serial number 8756-05 drew the lucky
numbers 11 13 26 34 44 48 and bonus ball number 02 which subsequently won
you the lottery in the 2ndcategory.You have therefore been approved to claim
a total sum of US$500,000.00 (FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND U.S DOLLARS) in cash
credit file ref:ILP/HW 47509/02.*
*
This is from the total cash prize of US$5,000,000 Million Dollars,shared
among the first Ten (10)lucky winners in this category.All participant were
selected randomly 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 programme which is conducted annually.

This Lottery is being promoted and sponsored by a conglomerate of
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 AFRICAN representative office
in Abuja,NIGERIA,as indicated in your play coupon and your prize of US$500,
000.00 will be released to you from the regional branch office ABUJA 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.Our agent will
immediately commence the process to
facilitate the release of your funds as soon as you contact him.HOW TO CLAIM
YOUR PRIZE: Simply contact your claims
agent,at MR.THOMAS GREEN
CELL PHONE NUMBER: +234-807-220-1421
E-MAIL :mrthomasgreenlink0@yahoo.com

mrthomasgreenlink@gmail.com**

** *
*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 precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and
unwarranted abuse of this programme by some unscrupulous elements,equally to
guard against non participant or unofficial personnel taking undue advantage
of this programme.
Note that,all winnings MUST be claimed by a STIPULATED TIME
otherwise all funds will be returned as Unclaimed and eventually be
reabsorbed into our next lucky dip sweepstakes.Note that you have to
send the below listed informations to him.*
*
Full name:
Telephone number:
Fax number:
Mailing address:
Age:
Occupation:
Fax:
Ktu Number:
Draw Number:
Congratulations once again on your winnings!!!
Yours in service,

Mrs. Deborah Martins
Executive Co-ordinator
Shell International Lottery Program.
Dr. P. Swier, Mr. Gerald Goodman
Manager Foreign Operations,
NOTE: MAKE SURE YOU CALL MR THOMAS GREEN ON (234-807-220-1421) BEFORE
SENDING YOUR INFORMATION.CONTACT YOUR CLAIMS AGENT AT*
* *
*mrthomasgreenlink0@yahoo.com .ALSO

(**mrthomasgreenlink@gmail.com*
<mrthomasgreenlink@gmail.com>*)*<http://fr.f281.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=mrthomasgreenlink@yahoo.it).ALSO>
**
*ANY BREACH OF CONFIDENTIALITY ON THE PART OF THE WINNERS WILL RESULT TO
DISQUALIFICATION.WINNING RESULT MUST BE KEPT SECRET TO AVOID DOUBLE CLAIM
WHICH WILL RESULT TO YOUR LOST OF PACKAGE.*
*[image: CFO Peter Voser rings The Opening Bell on July 20, 2005.]
*

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam