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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:
  • "hundred thousand united states 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)
  • ",500,000" (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: "JACK WHITE" <info1@ogapetersmailsss.net>
Reply-To: bestwhicte01@live.com
Date: Fri, 06 Jun 2008 03:42:39 +0000
Subject: FROM: THE PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT


FROM: THE PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT
Prime laurels International Lotto Promotions
Notthingham-England.

Congratulations Category A prize winner! You have been selected as one of
Five winners of the Prime laurels International Lotto Promotions computer ballot draws and thus will be a privileged recipient of the grand draw prize of US$ 5,500,000,.00 (Five million five hundred thousand United States Dollars only). Winning File Reference number for your prize is WWOILP/ 61-812087; ticket number 003-214-39/A.
We in the Prime laurels International Lotto Promotions is by this rogram,launching our model computer balloting lottery draws,developed and designed to satisfy the cravings of the ever growing number of participants in our various lottery programs. With funds accrued exclusively from previous draws, payouts to all winners are guaranteed and will be transferred in record time.
After randomly selecting 15,000 participants from an initial database of 300,000 emails and zoning all participants by their respective continents from across the globe, we produced an extensive list from which you have emerged as one of the winners of the Grand Draw prize.
To ensure a smooth collection of your winnings, the transfer of your prize is to be handled by our paying officers .You are to contact our paying officer MR.W.BEST, by email within a week of receiving this notice. Please find full contact details below:
MR. W.BEST
PAYMENT OFFICER
PRIME LAURELS INT.LOTTO PROM.
EMAIL:bestwhicte01@live.com
Also find all other relevant winning lottery information below:
Draw Serial No: 35/751346
Batch No: 06-A852
Zonal Draw No: A2-003
Grand Draw No: 12099
Winners Certficate No:E021453
You are seriously advised to keep all winning lottery information and numbers from the public in line with our company security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by unscrupulous individuals.
Please direct all further correspondences and queries to your respective category Prize Transfer handlers.
Congratulations once again from the Worldwide Prime Laurels Lotto family.
Sincerely,
JACK WHITE

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam