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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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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:
  • "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)
  • ",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)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• 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!
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • bitohairnchi1@rediffmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: bito hairnchii <bitohairnchi11@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 02:15:11 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: WINNING NOTIFICATION


AUSTRALIA LOTTERY INC.
5th Floor East
Commonwealth Centre
55 Currie Street
Adelaide SA 5000,
South Australia.

WINNING NOTIFICATION

We are delighted to inform you of the result of the E-mail address ballot lottery draw of the Australian cash-out lotto bv international programme,which took place on the 27th April 2007.This is a computer
generated lottery of Internet users using email addresses for draws.

This lotto 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 and bonus ball number which subsequently won you the lottery in the 2nd category.You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of US$250,000.00 (TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND U.S
DOLLARS) in cash credit file ref:ILP/HW 47509/02.

This is from the total cash prize of US$2,000,000 Million Dollars,shared amongst 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 Head office in SOUTH AFFRICA, as indicated in your play coupon and your prize of US$250,000.00 will be released to you from our regional branch office in WEST AFRICA.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, Barrister Johnson Ahmed at email:
(bitohairnchi1@rediffmail.com) by filling this form below and send it to him to file for your claims .
LOTTERY WINNERS APPLICATION FORM OF PAYMENT.
FULLNAME.................................................
DATE OF BIRTH..................................
ADDRESS..................................................
SEX.........................
AGE..................................
MARITAL STATUS...................................
NATIONALITY...........................................
OCCUPATION...........................................
TELEPHONE..........................................
FAX......................................................
EMAIL.................................................
DATE......................................................
WINNER REF/BATCH NO...........................APPROVED
FOR PAYMENT.

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(VERY SECRET) from the public until your claim is processed and your prize money remitted/released to you.This is part of our
precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this pro gramme by some unscrupulous elements,equally to guard against non participant orunofficial personnel taking undue advantage of this pro gramme. Note that,all winnings MUST be claimed by a STIPULATED TIME(ON OR BEFORE 28th OCT 2007); otherwise all funds will be returned as Unclaimed and eventually be reabsorbed into our next lucky dip sweepstakes.

Congratulations once again on your winnings!!!
Yours in service,

Mrs. NTOMBI
For Australian Lotto Inc.


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam