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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "euroafriq lotto award" (no such lottery exists)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "cotonou" (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.
  • lotto_treasurydept_03@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: mar ssdrrs <marssdrrs111@hotmail.fr>
Reply-To: <lotto_treasurydept_03@yahoo.fr>
Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2007 21:47:45 +0100
Subject: INTERNATIONAL LOTTO ORGANIZATION



INTERNATIONAL LOTTO ORGANIZATIONRue 153 Juan Hurtado De Mendoza 6D 28044,Cotonou Republic du Benin
UNCLAIMED LOTTO PRIZE PAYMENT NOTICE. ATTENTION TO THE OWNER OF THIS EMAIL ADDRESS;Winner in the 2nd category of our Euroafriq free NetLottery Promotional award draws held December 2006.
I am writing in respect to your lotto winning prize of$915,810.00(Nine hundred and fifteen thousand eighthundred and ten US Dollars only) which you won throughthe email ballot draws in our Euroafriq Lotto Award in2006 in the second category prize winnings category.
We wish to inform you that your total prize money of$915,810.00 has been returned to us by our Lotto claimsAgent as unclaimed prize after their initial letter toyour address for your payment was not successful, We arewriting in regards to payment of your Winnings to you. You are here by requested to contact our TreasuryOffice on telephone (00229)93013428 oremail: (lotto_treasurydept_03@yahoo.fr) for your immediatepayment.Our Treasury officer's name is Morgan Anderson,so refer this to him and contact him immediately foryour unclaimed lotto prize payment to you. You should contact our Treasury Officer as directedabove for your payment, and do notify me as soon as youreceived your payment from our Treasurer. Thanks,Mrs Vera Gonzales.President; Int'l Lotto Org.
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam