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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
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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:
  • "to your nominated bank account" (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)
  • "million us 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)
  • "lagos" (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 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.
  • euroafro_leo207@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: MR FRANK LEO <euroafro207@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <euroafro_leo207@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2007 05:22:06 +0100
Subject: DEAR LUCKY WINNER.



HEAD OFFICE EURO-AFRO SWEEPSTAKE LOTTERY NL. BURDENSTREET 21B 1053 DS AMSTERDAM,THE NETHERLANDS . FROM:THE DESK OF THE MANAGING DIRECTOR INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION PRIZE AWARD DEPT. REF:HWS/2002292201/06 BATCH:19/206/JJS. DEAR LUCKY WINNER. WE ARE PLEASED TO INFORM YOU ABOUT THE RELEASE OF THE EURO-AFROSWEEPSTAKE LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS HELD ON THE 11TH OF DECEMBER2006,YOUR NAME ATTACHED TO TICKET NUMBER:677-4834490301 WITH SERIANUMBER 6599/06 DREWTHE LUCKY NUMBERS:4-33-26-40-56-78,WHICH CONSEQUENTLYWON THE LOTTERY IN THE 2ND CATEGORY. YOU HAVE THEREFORE BEEN APPROVED FOR A LUMP SUM PAY OUT OF USD$1MILLIONIN CASH CREDITED TO FILE HWS/2002292201/06.THIS IS FROM A TOTAL CASHPRIZE OF USD$10MILLION SHARED AMONG THE TEN INTERNATIONAL LUCKY WINNERSIN THIS CATEGORY. FURTHERMORE,YOUR LUCKY WINNING NUMBER FALLS WITHIN OUR AFRICANBOOKLETREPRESENTATIVE OFFICE IN LAGOS,NIGERIA AS INDICATED IN YOUR PLAY COUPONIN VIEW OF THIS,YOUR USD$1,000,000.00[ONE MILLION US DOLLARS]WOULD BERELEASED TO YOU BY OUR BANKER,UNION BANK PLC.CONGRATULATION. YOUR FUND HAS BEEN THEREFORE DEPOSITED WITH OUR BANKER IN YOUR NAMEFROM WHERE IT WOULD BE RELEASED TO YOUR NOMINATED BANK ACCOUNT. DUE TO THE MIXED UP OF SOME NUMBERS AND NAMES,WE ASK THAT YOU KEEP THISA TOP SECRET FROM THE PUBLIC NOTICE UNTIL YOUR CLAIM HAS BEENPROCESSED AND YOUR MONEY REMITTED TO YOUR ACCOUNTAS THIS IS PART OF THESECURITY PROTOCOOLS TO AVOID DOUBLE CLAIMING OR UNWARRANTED TAKINGADVANTAGE OF THIS PROGRAMS BY PARTICIPANTS. ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE SELECTED THROUGH A COMPUTER BALLOT SYSTEM DRAWNFORM 25,000 COMPANY EMAIL ADDRESSES AND 30,000,000 INDIVIDUAL EMAILADDRESSES FROM AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, AMERICA, EUROPE, NORTH AMERICAANDASIA AS PART OF INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS PROGRAM, WHICH IS CONDUCTEDANNUALLY. TO BEGIN YOUR CLAIM,YOU SHOULD FIRST ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF THIS NOTIFICATION THROUGH THE ABOVE EMAIL ADDRESS. ENDEVOUR TO INCLUDE YOURFULL RECENT CONTACT ADDRESS, TELEPHONE/FAX NUMBERS AND YOUR BANKACCOUNT DETAILS WHERE YOU WANT THIS FUND TRANSFERED TO WHILE REPLYING THISNOTIFICATION. AS SOON AS YOU CONFIRM RECEIPT OF THIS NOTIFICATION,YOU SHALLBEADVISED/DIRECTED ON HOW TO CONTACT THE PAYING BANK FOR PROCESSING ANDREMITTANCE OF YOUR FUND TO YOUR NOMINATED BANK ACCOUNT. REMEMBER,ALL WINNING MUST BE CLAIM NOT LATER THAN 25TH SEPTEMBER 2007AND AFTER THIS DATE ALL BE RETURNED AS UNCLAIMED. NOTE: IN ORDER TO AVOID UNNECESSAR DELAY AND COMPLICATIONS,PLEASE REMEMBER TOQUOTE YOUR REFERENCE AND BATCH NUMBERS IN EVERY CORRESPONDENCE. FURTHERMORE, SHOULD THERE BE ANY CHANGE OF ADDRESS,DO INFORM US AS SOONAS POSSIBLE. CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN FROM ALL MEMBERS OF OUR STAFF AND THANK YOU FORBEING PART OF OUR PROMOTION PROGRAM. REPLY TO : euroafro_leo207@yahoo.com
SINCERELY YOURS. MR FRANK LEO MANAGING DIRECTOR INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION PRIZE AWARD DEPT
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam