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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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
• Support our efforts to stop scams!
  
• How to report 419 spam to us
• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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")
• 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!

Fraud email example:

From: Bill Wood <bill_wood_07@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2007 01:28:30 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: FILL THIS FORM AND TURN IN


Dear Winner,

Your message is confirmed thus you are required to fill the below form and get back to me asap for processing of your file.

Promotion Award Winner Identification Form:

Full name...............................................................

Full Contact address...............................................

Marital status.........................................................

Occupation............................................................

Age.......................................................................

Nationality............................................................

Telephone.............................................................

Email address.......................................................

Date.....................................................................

Ticket Number: B9564 7560 4545 100
Serial Number: 046560
Winning Numbers: 7-21-22-24-30-31 Bonus 29
Prize: $820 000.00 USD

Bill Woods
Claims Agent


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam