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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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• 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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "million dollars" (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)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
• 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.
  • +34652506177 (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.
  • payzoneeurope@aol.com

Fraud email example:

From: "MICROSTAAT POL." <microstaatpromol@aim.com> (may be fake)
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:47:32 +0100
Subject: Important Information!

Canada Soccer World Cup 2010 Promotional Draw
1550 Princess Street Kingston, ON, Canada, K7M 9E3
Email: payzoneeurope@aol.com
Winner Ref: EAAL/851OYHI/05
Winner Batch No. Lotto 6/49

DIVISION OF UNCLAIMED FUNDS.
NOTICE FOR UNCLAIMED AMOUNT OF “EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND FIFTY UNITED STATE DOLLARS” [$815, 950.00] TO: Fernanda Gomez

PAYMENT NOTIFICATION: - PLEASE FORWARD YOUR DETAILS TO THE EUROPEAN PROCESSING OFFICE.

Dear sir,

The Canadian Government sponsors this lottery for the promotion of the 2010 Soccer World cup to be hosted in South Africa. We happily announce to you the draw of the Euro-Afro-American Sweepstake Lottery International Programs held on Sat March 16TH 2008 in Essex United Kingdom and Ontario Canada. Your e-mail address attached to Ticket Number: B9564 75604545 100, with Serial Number 8 9 31 42 45 49 drew the winning numbers 19 29 33 35 44 49 with a bonus Number 22 for LOTTO 6/49 under the choice of the lottery in the 2nd category of daily three. You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of US$815,950.00 (Eight Hundred and Fifteen Thousand Nine hundred and Fifty United States Dollars) in cash credited to file EAAL/9080118308/05. This is from a total cash prize of US $11,100,000.00 Million dollars, shared amongst the first One Hundred and-thirty (130) lucky winners in this category Worldwide.

Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our Euro booklet representative office in Europe as indicated in your play coupon, because this particular draw was selected to promote the 2010 World Cup to be hosted in South Africa hence your winning information must be kept to enable you participate in our subsequent draws which will see 500 participants travelling on an all expense paid trip to South Africa for the Soccer World Cup 2010. In view of this, your US$815,950.00 (Eight Hundred and Fifteen Thousand Nine hundred and Fifty Dollars) would be released to you by an accredited commercial Bank in Europe Spain. Our Spanish European agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds as soon as you contact our Europe Agent's office. All participants were selected randomly from World Wide Web site through computer draws system and extracted from over 10,000,00 companies and personal e-mails. For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential till your claims are processed and your money remitted to you in whatever manner you deem fit.

This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by unscrupulous elements. Please be warned! To file for your claim, please contact our corresponding Agent in Spain immediately you read this message for quick and urgent release of your funds. Contact information is as follows;

Dr. Paul Miller
Tel: # +34- 653 075 135
Fax: # +34-652 506 177
Cash Payment Processing Office- Madrid.

To avoid unnecessary delays and Complications, please fill and return the attached payment verification form and return it back to him today by email attachment for immediate processing and remittance of your prize money. Note that the maximum allowable period by law to return your filled payment verification form is 72hours; failure to do so will result in your payment being delayed or cancelled. Remember to quote your reference numbers in any correspondences with our designated agents;

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Full names: ............................................................................. Age: ............/.........../..........

Sex: ................... Residential address: ....................................................................................

Nationality: .................. Occupation: ............................Company name: ..........................

Tel #(s): ......................... Fax: .............................CELL:.....................................

Reference Number: ........................... Winning numbers: .......................Current Email:................

Batch Number:.............................Serial Numbers:........................Ticket Number:........................

Congratulations! Thank you for being part of our Promotional Lottery program.

Yours Sincerely,
Ms. Juliana Vidal
payzoneeurope@aol.com
NOTE: To confirm that you have won with the winning numbers as appeared for the Sat Feb 16 2008 draw; please visit: www.canada.com/findit/lotteries/results.aspx?id=6

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam