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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:

• The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "20 craven park, harlesden" (address often used in fake lottery scams)
• 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 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.
  • +27723914070 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: microsoft Award <msoftword27@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:53:03 +0200
Subject:
=?iso-8859-1?Q?YOU_HAVE_WON_=A3500,000.00_(Five_Hundred_Thousand_Great_Br?=
=?iso-8859-1?Q?itain_Pounds)?=






FROM:Richard Carlos

Microsoft presents Hill Team With Innovator Award.20 Craven Park, HarlesdenLondon NW10United Kingdom

Dear Winner,
The prestigious Micrsoft and aol has set out and sucessfully organised a Sweepstakes marking the end of the year 2007 anniversary. We rolled out £5,000.000.00 (Five million Great Britain Pounds) for our end of the year Anniversary Draws. Participants for the draws were randomly selected and drawn from a wide range of web hosts which we enjoy their patronage.

The selection was made through a computer draw system attaching personalised email addresses to ticket numbers. Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet companies and in an effort to make sure that Internet Explorer remains the most widely used programe,
Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail beta test.Your email address as indicated was drawn and attached to ticket number 008795727498 with serial numbers BTD/9080648302/06 and drew the lucky numbers 14-21-25-39-40-47(20) which subsequently won you £500,000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Great Britain Pounds) as one of the 10 jackpot winners in this draw. You have therefore won the entire winning sum of £500,000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Great Britain Pounds). The draws registered as Draw number one was conducted in Brockley, London United Kingdom on the 5th of Nov. 2007. These Draws are commemorative and as such special.
Note that your lucky winning number falls within our Afro booklet representative office in Africa as indicated in your play coupon. In view of this, your £500,000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Great Britain Pounds) By our African paying bank.Our African agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds as soon as you contact him either by phone or email.
Please be informed by this winning notification,to file your claims,you are to make contact with your designated agent who shall by duty guide you through the process to facilitate the release of your prize.To file for your claim Please Contact your fiduciary agent.
You are advised to contact your Fiduciary Agent with the following details to avoid unnecessary delays and complications:
Mr Brght JaffersonMicrosoft Promotion Award Team
Co-operate office in African Region,
#63 sentinary bld Auckland park,
Johanessburg,
Republic of South Africa.
Head Winning Claims Dept.


Email: head_departt@hotmail.comPhone:+27-72 391 4070.


Forward to your agent the following details to enable him process your payment without further delays.

Name (in Full) :...................................Country: ............................................
Address:............................................
Direct Telephone No.:.........................
Age:.................................................
Occupation/position:.........................
Ticket Number:.................................
Batch Number:................................
Serial Number:................................
Lucky Numbers:...............................

Amount Won..................................
As indicated in this winning Notification and Phone numbers.Thank you for being part of this promotional award program.Our special thanks and gratitude to Bill Gates and his associates.We wish you the best of luck as you spend your good fortune.Thank you for being part of our commemorative end of the year Anniversary Draws.

Sincerely,
Richard Carlos.

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam