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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 phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "processing fee" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "deadline" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
• 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.
  • +66875179986 (Thailand, probably a mobile phone)
• 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.
  • a_pacificagent@thaimail.org

Fraud email example:

From: "USA GREEN CARD VISA LOTTERY OFFICE" <visaagent@she.com> (may be fake)
Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:47:26 +0700
Subject: USA GREEN CARD VISA LOTTERY WINNER

http://www.state.gov The Official U.S Green Card Lottery Program United States Department of State, National Visa Center 32 Rochester Ave, Portsmouth , NH 03801-2909 www.usafis.org
American Green Card Lottery
Live and Work in USA
US Government Immigration Lottery program
Case Number: 2355550070
Dear winner,
We wish to notify you that you have been selected as one of the lucky winners of the US VISA lottery through our internet email extracting and screening machine, your application was applied and processed by our internet email extracting and screening machine which randomly extracts and scans millions of email addresses from websites across the world.
The aim and objectives of the program is to give free visas to citizens of developing countries around the world to enable them travel to the US and start a new life and work. Your visa winner's identity is number MM-2257 and your serial net visa passport number with us is: JM-102648.
Your visa type permits you to travel with your family should you wish to. Your visa duration is 10 years multiple entry to the U.S,it is renewable upon expiration and it
permits you to work, study and own properties in the US.
All the selected lucky winners will need to act on their visa claims application quickly before the expiration of the visa claim deadline 21-12-2007)
Your visa details falls within our Asia/pacific booklet representative office as indicated in the draw system, do contact our Asia/pacific Agent for your visa form and requirements with the below contact details;
Name: Tom Narath
Address: Soi 69 sukumvit Bangkok Thailand
Tel: +668-7517-9986
Fax: +662- 253-5643
E mail: a_pacificagent@thaimail.org <http://us.f903.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=a_pacificagent@thaimail.org>
Email: asiaagent@bangkokmail.com <http://us.f903.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=asiaagent@bangkokmail.com>
Processing Fee.
$850USD
Benefits.
Winners will get FREE Airline Ticket to the USA.
To participate in the Green Card Lottery, you must satisfy General Requirements and Education/Training Requirements.
Both are described below.
General Requirements :
To enter the Lottery, an applicant must be able to claim nativity in an eligible country. Nativity, in most cases, is determined by the applicant's place of birth.
Persons from ALL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD ARE ELIGIBLE to participate in the Green Card Lottery, EXCEPT persons born in the following countries:
BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland, except Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GREAT BRITAIN (and its dependent territories*, except Northern Ireland), GUATEMALA, HAITI, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PHILIPPINES, PERU, POLAND, RUSSIA and VIETNAM.
*The following dependent areas of Great Britain are not eligible to participate in the Lottery: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands.
You may still qualify to participate in the Lottery even if you were born in one of the ineligible countries listed above. There are 2 exceptions:
If your spouse was born in an eligible country, then you can claim your spouse's country of birth.
If one of your parents was born in an eligible country, then you can claim your parent's country of birth.
A short statement explaining how you satisfy this exception must be included on your application.
Education/Training Requirements
To enter, an applicant must have EITHER:
A high school education or its equivalent, defined in the US as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education, OR
2 years of work experience within the past 5 years in an occupation requiring at least 2 years of training or experience to perform <http://www.greencardexperts.org/GC_FormShell.asp?Action=Occupations>.
Please retain this letter and take it with you to your visa interview centre when directed for the issuance of your visa.
Do not reply back to this notification email (busy)
Please read and follow all the enclosed instructions very carefully.
Sincerely yours,
Mrs. Natasha Smith.
U.S Consulate General.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam