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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:

• 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:
  • "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found 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.
  • pclark197043@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: <abz@abz.com>
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2008 18:16:08 -0500
Subject: NOTIFICATION,

FROM: THE DESK OF THE PROMOTIONS MANAGER,
TIENS LOTTERY PROMOTIONS, UK.

Dear Winner,

AWARD NOTIFICATION/FINAL PAYMENT NOTICE.

We are pleased to inform you today, 21ST June,
2008, of Winners of the TIENS LOTTERY PROMO, UNITED KINGDOM.
draws held on 19TH June, 2008. Your email address attached
to ticket number: 977-9662-855-244, with serial number
: 0336-79 drew the lucky numbers : 00-47-12-98-44-33, and
consequently won the lottery in the 3rd category.

You have therefore been approved for lump sum pay out
of (£1.500.000.00) One Million, five hundred thousand
British Pounds in cash credited to Reference number :
095574118088™ TIENS. This is from total prize Money Of
(£25.500.000.00) Twenty-Five Million, five hundred
thousand British Pounds shared among the seventeen
winners.

Participants were selected through a computer
Ballot System drawn from 25,000 email addresses from
Australia, New Zealand, America, Europe, North America
and Asia as Part of International Promotions Program,
which is Conducted Annually.

To begin your claim, quote your Reference and contact
our Director, Claims/Remittance Department:

Mr. Patrick Clark, Email: pclark197043@yahoo.com

Congratulations !

Yours faithfully,

Mrs. Joan Weston.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam