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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
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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:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
• 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.
  • +447045731907 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • agentphilcole@yahoo.com.hk

Fraud email example:

From: foundation1@mchsi.com
Date: Thu, 22 May 2008 18:38:25 +0000
Subject: ALERT!!!

Yahoo Awards Center 124 Stockport Road, Longsight, Manchester
M60 2DB - United Kingdom

This is to inform you that you have won a prize money
of Eight Hundred and Eighty Five Thousand Great
Britain Pounds (GBP885,000) for the 2008 Prize
Promotion which is Organized by YAHOO AWARDS &
WINDOWS LIVE.

YAHOO! collects all the email addresses of the people
that are active online, among the millions that
subscribed to Yahoo and Hotmail and few from other
e-mail providers. Six people are selected to benefit
from this promotion and you are one of the Selected
Winners.

Stated below are your identification numbers:

BATCH NUMBER: YPA/08-43658
REFERENCE NUMBER: 2008234522
PIN: 1206

These numbers fall within the England Location file
and you are requested to contact our fiduciary agent
in Manchester and send your winning identification
numbers to him;
E-Mail:agentphilcole@yahoo.com.hk Tel.+447045731907


As soon as our agent hears from you, he shall commence
the process that will facilitate the release of your
fund to you. You are therefore advice to furnish your
claims agent with the below informations:

FULLNAME:................COUNTRY:........HOME ADDRESS:.............
MOBILENUMBER:.............HOMENUMBER:........AGE:.......SEX:........MARITAL
STATUS:.......OCCUPATION:...........

Congratulations!! once again.
Yours in service,

Dr. (Mrs.) Carol Sley.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam