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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!
  
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• 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.

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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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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.
  • +27733023773 (South Africa, 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.
  • micro_200@yahoo.es (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: uk Lottery <uklottery_51@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:06:17 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: AWARDED BY MICROSOFT COMPANY


FROM THE DESK OF THE MICROSOFT
COORDINATOR {MICROSOFT GLOBAL E-MAIL LOTTERY}
INTERNATIONAL PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT
AMSTERDAM THE NETHERLANDS
FILE REF: HL/5564/40/07/MICS.
BATCH: MC11/834/5PDH /EU
OFFICIAL WINNING NOTIFICATION:
CONGRATULATIONS: DEAR WINNER:
It is obvious that this notification will come to you as a surprise but please find time to read it carefully as we congratulate you over your success in the following official publication of results of the E-mail electronic online Sweepstakes organized by Microsoft, in conjunction with the foundation for the promotion of software products, (F.P.S.) held on the JAN of 2008,in Amsterdam The Netherlands.
Wherein your electronic E-mail address emerged as one of the online
Winning emails in the 1st category and therefore attracted a cash award of (USD$800,000.00) which your file falls in South African Claim office in Johannesburg. Our winners are arranged into four categories with different winning prizes accordingly in each category. They are arranged in this format below:

We write to officially notify you of this award and to advise you to contact the processing office immediately upon receipt of this message for more information concerning the verification, processing and eventual payment of the above prize to you, it is important to note that your award information was released with the following particulars attached to it.
1. FULL NAMES:
2.RESIDENT ADDRESS:
3.SEX:
4.MARITAL STATUS :
5.E-MAIL ADDRESS:
6.MOBILE:
8.AGE:
10. OCCUPATION:
11.AMOUNT WON:
12. NATIONALITY:
13. TICKET NUMBER AND SERIAL NUMBERS.
14Account Number
To file for your claim,
Please contact your Agent in South Africa your winning within 14 days bank working days of this winning notification.
CONTACT: HIM
MICROSOFT SECURITY DEPARTMENT (RSA)
NAME DR JOHN BRIGGS
TEL: +27-73 302-3773
E-mail: micro_200@yahoo.es
CONGRATULATIONS! Once again on behalf of all our staffs,

Yours faithfully,
MRS REBECCA BONGANI,




---------------------------------
Sent from Yahoo! Mail.
A Smarter Inbox.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam