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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:
  • "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "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)
  • "very confidential" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
• 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.
  • +447031851712 (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.
  • muhamed_mustafa1@hotmail.com
  • mr.h.christopher@gmail.com

Fraud email example:

From: "maxwell20072001@yahoo.com" <mary_johnson4@mail.mn>
Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:09:21 -0700
Subject: THIS IS YOUR WINING NOTIFICATION FROM GOOGLE AWARDS LONDON


[image: Google]

Congratulations!!!

THIS IS YOUR WINING NOTIFICATION FROM GOOGLE AWARDS LONDON

This is to inform you that you have won a prize money of One Million Eight
hundred thousand Dollars (US$ 1,800,000.00) in the YEAR 2007/2008 Awards
which is organized by GOOGLE UK

GOOGLE AWARDS UK has arranged and gathered all the e-mail addresses of the
people that are active online, among the Millions that subscribe to YAHOO!
GMAIL, HOTMAIL, LYCOS, MAIL.COM and other Domains, we only selected
THIRTEEN (13) candidates as our winners after undergoing the random
selection process through Electronic Balloting System (E.B.S) without the
candidate applied; we congratulate you for being one of the people selected.


The Awarded Prize must be claimed not later than 14 days from date of Draw
Notification in which Prize has been won. Note: Any prize not claimed within
this period 15 days) will be forfeited.

IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS:
Batch number.....................YBM-EBS-390AF
Ref number........................YBM-EBS-719AF
Winning number...............YBM-EBS-798AF

These numbers above fall within agent's Location file, you are requested to
contact him and send your Identification Numbers and Personal Information
to him;

*CONTACT THE CLAIM AGENT AS THUS,
Muhamed Mustafa;
Email Address:
muhamed_mustafa1@hotmail.com <mr.h.christopher@gmail.com>*
+44 70 3185 1712
Send your Identification Numbers/Your Personal Information to him so that
he will proceed further for your prize claim immediately:

PERSONAL INFORMATION
1. Full
Name:......................................................................................................
2.
Nationality:...................................................................................................
3. Contact
Address:........................................................................................
4. Telephone
Number:..................................................................................
5. Fax
Number:.......................................................................................................
6. Date of
Birth:......................................................................................................
7.
Occupation............................................................................................................
8.
Age..............................................................................................................................
9.
Sex...............................................................................................................................
10. Alternative E-mail
address:........................................................................
11. Next of Kin of the Beneficiary in
case..................................................



You are advised to keep your winning information very confidential to keep
away from double claim and abuse of the program until your prize is paid to
you. You select how to transfer the prize money to you.

Yours in Service,

Mary Johnson

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam