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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
• Support our efforts to stop scams!
  
• How to report 419 spam to us
• 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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • ",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)
  • "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.
  • +447011148929 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: claims_department_01@live.com
Date: Sat, 09 Feb 2008 12:22:00 -0500
Subject: Congratulations: You Have Won A Cash Prize From Microsoft Lottery Division 2008!

MICROSOFT WORD LOTTERY DIVISION UNITED KINGDOM!
FROM: THE DESK OF THE INTERNATIONAL E-MAIL PROMOTION'S COORDINATOR /PRIZE AWARD DIVISION.
19 North Bridge Edinburgh
EH1 1SD United Kingdom.
Tel: +447011148929.


ELECTRONIC E-MAIL AWARD WINNING NOTIFICATION.
AWARD PRESENTATION CENTER: UNITED KINGDOM.


Dear Lucky Winner No 5.


We are pleased to inform you that you have been announced as the fifth lucky winner of our MSW MEGA JACKPOT LOTTO
WINNING PROGRAMS held on the 9th, January 2008. Your company or your personal e-mail address, is attached to winning
number Five (5). With this REF NO: MSW-L/200-26937 and BATCH NO: 2005MJL-01


Therefore, you have been approved for lump sums pay out of £1,000,000.00 ( ONE MILLION BRITAINS POUND STERLINGS )
in cash and has been credited to file REF NO: MSW-L/200-26937. This is from a total prize money of £25,000,000.00
POUNDS, shared among the Twenty Five (25) international winners in January 2008.
To claim your won prize, you are to contact the Financial Controller ( Dr. Dennis Keita). Below are his contact
informations:

Contact E-mail : claims_department_01@live.com
NAME: Dr. Dennis Keita.
Tel: +447011135744.



Sincerely,

Dr. Andersen Murray
MS WORD LOTTO COORDINATOR;

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam