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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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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "00,000.00" (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 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.
  • claims_garry_dept02@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "APPLE LOTTERY ONLINE,UK" <figacree@cavtel.net>
Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:54:21 -1200
Subject: 2007 APPLE LUCKY WINNER !!!






AWARD WINNING APPROVAL
We happily announce to you the draw (#1091) of the APPLE
LOTTERY,
online Sweepstakes International Program held on Friday
November 16th, 2007.
Your e-mail address attached to TICKET NO: APL
(02-36-99-87-13) with
BATCH NO: 2007APL-007(bonus no.31), which subsequently won
you the
lottery in the 2nd Category i.e. match 5 plus bonus. You
have therefore been
approved to Claim a total sum of £ 700,000.00 GBP (Seven
Hundred
thousand British Pounds Sterling) in cash credited to file
REF NO:
B/98-867-974APL.
Below is the contact of the Fiduciary Agent contact him for
the
processing of your claim.
AGENT: Mr Garry Cooke
E-MAIL: claims_garry_dept02@yahoo.co.uk
PAYMENT VERIFICATION FORM
1.FULL NAMES:
2.FULL ADDRESS:
3.SEX:
4.AGE:
5.OCCUPATION:
6.TELEPHONE NUMBER:
Sincerely,
Joanna Phillip (Mrs)
Games Co-ordinator

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam