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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:
  • "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!

Fraud email example:

From: European Commission <info@eu.europa.org>
Reply-To: europa.org.eu@live.co.uk
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:40:17 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: FINAL NOTICE: REGARDING YOUR SME GRANT EU-09102XN














New Page 1
























European Commission=20


Enterprise and Industry DG=20


Communication and Information Unit/R4=20


BREY 13/ 092


B - 1049 Brussels (Belgium)



We bring to your notice the decision by the board of trustees of The Europe=
an=20


Union to choose you as one of the final recipients of a cash grant/donation=
for=20


your own personal, educational, and business development (SME funding).






To promote growth and creating new jobs in the European economy, we are giv=
ing=20


out a yearly donation of =E2=82=AC500,000.00 (five hundred thousand Euros) =
to 10 lucky=20


recipients who have been selected from over 25,000 websites all over the gl=
obe,=20


as funding/aid from the European Union, European Commission, and the United=
=20


Nations in accordance with enabling acts of Parliament.



Please contact paying office (England)


Name: Dr. Dominic Brett


E-mail: europa.org.eu@live.co.uk



Remember to quote your identification numbers. Find your identification num=
bers=20


below:



BATCH NUMBER: EU-09102XN


UNIQUE NUMBER: EC09788



Note that these numbers fall within your location file.



Thank you and accept my congratulations once again!



Janet Williamson


Information Officer and Coordinator,


Scottish European Resources Network

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam