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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 phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "claims office" (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!
• 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.
  • hlfclaimofficer@walla.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: babyblue@mchsi.com (HERITAGE LOTTERY PROMOTIONS )
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2007 06:31:35 +0000
Subject: YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS DREW THE WINNING NUMBERS....

HERITAGE LOTTERY FUNDS PROMOTIONS
7 Holbein Place, London, SW1W 8NR United Kingdom

FROM: THE DESK OF THE DIRECTOR PROMOTIONS,
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT,
REF: HLF/66-CAW662006

Dear Winner,
We are pleased to announce you as one of the 6 lucky winners in the
HERITAGE LOTTERY FUNDS draw held on the 3rd of September,2007.

All 6 winning addresses were randomly selected from a batch of 40,000
international emails.Your email address emerged alongside 5 others as
a 3rd category winner in this month's draw.

Consequently,you have therefore been approved for a total pay out
of £1,500,000 Pounds( one million five hundred thousand pounds)only.

Please contact the underlisted claims officer as soon as possible for
the immediate release of your winnings:

Mr. Edward Pinto,
7 Holbein Place, London, SW1W 8NR United Kingdom
Email: hlfclaimofficer@walla.com

With the requested information so that we can expedite the processing
of your claims:

NAME:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
ADDRESS:
SEX:
PHONE/FAX:
EMAIL:
BATCH/REFERENCE NUMBER:
AGE:

Congratulations once again from all members and staff
of this program.

Thank you for being part of our promotional lottery
programs.

Sincerely,
MRS HELEN PALMER
THE DIRECTOR PROMOTIONS,
HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND

--

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam