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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:
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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "euroafriq lotto award" (no such lottery exists)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • lottotreasury_office217@yahoo.fr

Fraud email example:

From: "officemail00320 Gazeta.pl" <officemail00320@gazeta.pl>
Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:46:44 +0100
Subject: UNCLAIMED LOTTO PRIZE PAYMENT NOTICE.


INTERNATIONAL LOTTO ORGANIZATION
Rue 153 Juan Hurtado De Mendoza 6D 28044,
Cotonou, Republic du Benin.

UNCLAIMED LOTTO PRIZE PAYMENT NOTICE.


ATTENTION TO THE OWNER OF THIS EMAIL ADDRESS;
Winner in the 2nd category of our Euroafriq free Net
Lottery Promotional award draws held December 2007.

I am writing in respect to your lotto winning prize of
$1,915,810.00(One Million, Nine hundred and fifteen thousand eight
hundred and ten US Dollars only) which you won through
the email ballot draws in our Euroafriq Lotto Award in
2007 in the second category prize winnings category.
We wish to inform you that your total prize money of
$1,915,810.00 has been returned to us by our Lotto claims
Agent as unclaimed prize after their initial letter to
your address for your payment was not successful, We are
writing in regards to payme nt of your Winnings to you.

You are here by requested to contact our Treasury
Office on telephone 00229)970 100 15 or
email: lottotreasury_office217@yahoo.fr) for your immediate
payment.Our Treasury officer's name is David Morrison,
so refer this to him and contact him immediately for
your unclaimed lotto prize payment to you.

You should contact our Treasury Officer as directed
above for your payment, and do notify me as soon as you
received your payment from our Treasurer.


Thanks,
Mrs Vera Gonzales.
President; Int'l Lotto Org.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam