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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 phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • ",000,000" (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.
  • +34692406670 (Spain, prepaid 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.
  • mayor.agent@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: VICTORIA VALDEMORO <megamillion54@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:43:50 +0100
Subject: GREETINGS/WINNING NOTIFICATION


MEGA MILLION LOTTERY PROMOTION

600N.10th STREET,
SACRAMENTO,CA,
95814,USA.

Congratulations,

We are pleased to inform you that as a result of our recent lottery
draw held on the 2 January. 2008. Your email address attached to ticket number
2752465896 with serial number 652-662 draw lucky numbers 7-14-18-23-31-45
which consequently won the 2nd category for a lump sum pay out of one Millioneuros
(1,000,000. 00 EUROS).
Note that all participants in this lottery program have been selected
randomly through a computer ballot system drawn from over 50,000 companies
and 90,000 individual email addresses from all search engine and website
(www). No tickets were sold. This lottery award program takes place every
year and is promoted and sponsored by eminent personalities like the Sultan
of Brunei,Bill Gates of Microsoft inc. and other Corporate Organizations.
This is to encourage the use of the internet worldwide.

Your prize award has been issued with your e-mail address and will be
transferred to you upon meeting our requirements, statutory obligations
and satisfactory report.For security purpose and clarity, we advise that
you keep your winning information strictly confidential until your claims
have been processed and your money remitted to you. This is part of our
security protocol to avoid making wrong payment and unwarranted abuse of
this program by some participants.

To file in for the processing of your prize winning, you are requested
to contact our payment office here in Spain to assist you with your winnings
and subsequent payments. Below is the contact information of the payment
office here in Spain.
Central Office,Management and Central Services:

Salamanca 52,ES-13370 Postdam
Espana.

Head of Department: Mr Angel Vasquez
Email: mayor.agent@yahoo.com
Website:http://www.calottery.com
Email: mayor.agent@yahoo.com
Tel: +34-692-406-670
fax: +34-912-919-812

Note, all winning must be claimed not less than two weeks after the date
of this notice. To avoid delay in claiming your winning fund, you are therefore
advised as matter of urgency to forward to Mrs.Juliet Thomas your needed
information below

(1) Your full names and address:...............................
2) Country of origin/home address:..............................
3) Tel/Fax..................
4) Your ticket num and serial number:...............................
5) Occupation:.................
Congratulations once more and thank you for being part of our program.
Yours Sincerely,

Victoria Valdemoro.
(LOTTERY SECRETARY)

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam