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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:

• 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:
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "foreign service manager" (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 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.
  • atlasfiservices@aim.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Rene van Zee" <claim_info@biz.by>
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 10:59:14 +0200
Subject: Congratulation! Your e-mail has won a microsoft prize:


EXPERTLOTTO SWEEPSTAKES
www.ExpertLotto.com <http://www.expertlotto.com/>
REF: 012/14/08WGB.
BATCH: ESL32/2.

Sir/Madam,

AWARD WINNING NOTIFICATION:
We happily notify you of the draw of the Email Lottery Ballot / World Gaming
Board Sweepstakes program held on the 25th of April, 2008. Your email
address attached to ticket Nr: 5201051 drew Lucky Nº: 10-13-51-19-11, which
consequently won you the lottery in the 3rd category. You have therefore
been approved to claim a total sum of (€721,560.00. Euros only), in cash
credited to file REF Nr: 012/14/08WGB. This is from a total cash prize of
(€7,937,160.00 Euros only), shared amongst the eleven International winners
in this category.

All participants were selected randomly from the World Wide Web through a
computer Ballot System drawn From over 100,000 unions that are listed
online. Microsoft Corporation, names from Australia, New Zealand, America,
Europe, North America and Asia as part of International Promotions Program,
which takes place every year. Payment authority of your prize - €721,560.00.
Euros only, already paid and insured in your name with our accredited Paying
bank will be issued to effect immediate / swift transfer in the mode you
will prefer and designate, upon satisfactory report on verification and
validation recommendations provided by our Claims Security Agent. To file
for your claim, please contact your Claim Agent; Mr. Miguel Angel, The
Foreign Service Manager of ATLAS FINANCIAL SERVICES S.A. on Tel: + 346
056-057-43. E-mail: Atlasfiservices@aim.com

For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information
confidential until your claim is processed and your money remitted to you
and remember to quote your Reference and Batch numbers in all your
correspondences. All winnings must be claimed not later than 20th of JUNE,
2008. After this date, all unclaimed funds will be withdrawn.
Congratulations once more from all our members of staff.

Yours faithfully,
Mrs. Rene van Zee.
(Program Co-coordinator).
www.ExpertLotto.com <http://www.expertlotto.com/>

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam