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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!
  
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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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!
• 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.
  • +447031956344 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "Microsoft Online" <Staff_webtoplot@mail2webtop.com> (may be fake)
Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:47:52 +0400
Subject: MICROSOFT ONLINE LOTTERY NOTIFICATION WINING NOTIFICATION


THE AWARDS WINNERS MICROSOFT ONLINE LOTTERY NOTIFICATION

FROM THE DESK OF THE MANAGING DIRECTOR=2C MICROSOFT INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS=2FPRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS=3A 11 ROSS-ON-WYE=2C HEREFORDSHIRE=2C HR9 9WB UNITED KINGDOM=2E

REFERENCE N=BA=3A EGS=2F2251256003=2F0

BATCH N=BA=3A 14=2F0017=2F1PD


AWARD NOTIFICATION

The Microsoft Email Awards Winners Exchange Lottery wishes to inform you the results of the E-mail address ballot lottery program held today=2C Your email account was selected as a winner of Five Hundred and Fifty Thousand Pounds Only=2E =28=A3550=2C000=2E00=29=2E

This result is now made available to you and your email address attached to Ticket # 044595 in the Category A bonus ball 02=2C 03=2C 21=2C 24=2C 38=2C 44=2C and bonus ball 47=2E Participants in the draws were randomly selected through a computer ballot system drawn from 2=2C500=2C000 e-mail addresses of Individuals=2FCompanies from Europe=2C Africa=2C Americas=2C Asia=2C Australia=2C Canada=2C Middle East=2C and New Zealand as part of our electronic business Promotions Program=2E

We advice that you keep your winning information confidential until your claims has been processed and your money released to you=2E This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program=2E For the release of your winnings=3B kindly contact your claims agent with the following details to expedite the processing of your prize winning=2E

Full name and Address=2C
Draw Date=2C
Country of Residence=2C
Tel and Fax Number=2C
Occupation=2C
Age=2E

To begin your Claim=2C please contact our Regional Payments=2FClaims office immediately with the following email addresses=3Bstaff=5Fwebtoplot=40mail2webtop=2Ecom =3Cmailto=3Astaff=5Fwebtoplot=40mail2webtop=2Ecom=3E=2C or on telephone numbers=3B +44 703 1956344=2E=28Monday to Friday=29 All winning must be claimed not later than 31-5-2007=2E After this date all prize winning will treated as Unclaimed=2E Note in order to avoid unnecessary delays=3B remember to quote your Reference and Batch numbers in all correspondence=2E

Congratulations once again from all our members of staff and thank you for being part of our special quarterly promotional Lottery program=2E

Yours Sincerely=2C

Mr=2E Mark Bridge
=28Informations and Promotion Manager=29

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam