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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.

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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)
  • "hundred thousand united states 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)
• 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.
  • +27768041602 (South Africa, 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.
  • drbright2010@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: south board <south_board41@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:28:16 +0200
Subject: Congratulations!!! your e-mail address has won $500.000 Dollars.





FROM NATIONAL LOTTERY AGENTSOUTH AFRICAN 2010 WORLD CUP LOTTERY AWARD.LOTTERY HEADQUARTERS: 31, BRITON COURT,KEMPSTON PARK, JHB.BATCH: (13/26/DC36.)

FROM: SA NATIONAL LOTTERYTICKET NUMBER: 74454774SERIAL NUMBER: 144-66584BATCH NUMBER: BT-4478474121P


DRAWS NUMBERS:
AWARD FINAL NOTIFICATION:

We are pleased to inform you of the release, of the long awaited results of the South African 2010 World cup Bid award INTERNANTIONAL LOTTERY PROMOTION held in Zurich, Switzerland on the 30 JUNE 2005.You were entered as dependent clients with: Reference SERIAL NUMBER: 144-66584 and Batch number BT-4478474121P.
Your email address attached to the ticket number: 74454774 that drew the lucky winning number, which consequently won the sweepstake in the first category,in four parts. You have been approved for a payment of $500.000 Dollars ( Five hundred thousand United States Dollars )in cash credited to file reference number:IPL/4249859609/WP1.This is from a total cash prize of five million Dollars shared among the ten international winners in first categories.
AWARD FINAL NOTIFICATION
All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from 50,000 (Fifty thousand) names of email users around the world, as part of our international promotion program. Due to mixed up of some names and addresses, we ask that you keep this award personal, till your claims has been processed and your funds remitted to you. This is part of our security measures to avoid double claiming or unwarranted taking advantage of the situation by other participants or impersonators, You are therefore directed to contact our bank manager immediately on receipt of this massage for quickened and urgent release of your wining fund. His contact
information is as follows:

NAME: Dr Ben Bright
TEL: +27-768 041 602
EMAIL:drbright2010@yahoo.com
He is your agent, and responsible for the processing and transfer of your winnings to you. YOUR SECURITY FILE NUMBER IS Z-90237-Y67/U4 (keep personal) Remember, your winning must be claimed not later than (1 MONTH) From the date of acknowledgement receipt. Failure to claim your fund will be added to the next 10 Million Dollars lottery promotion. Furthermore, should there be any change in your address, do inform your claims agent as soon as possible. Once again, Congratulations.
Yours Sincerely,

MR PETER SMITH
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam