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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")
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "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)
• 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.
  • grahammary37@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "SWIFT LOTTO" <bigtake4@googlemail.com>
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2008 11:48:56 -0700
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!


*FROM THE DESKTOP OF THE PROMOTIONS MANAGER,
THE LOTTERY COMPANY LIMITED
4 PRINCES SQUARE
HARROGATE
NORTH YORKSHIRE
HG1 1LX
Company No. 02949433
Status: Active
Date of Incorporation: 15/07/1994
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Company Type: Private Limited Company
DEAR,
WINNER
AWARD NOTIFICATION
We wish to inform you of the lottery draws held between 30th of June, 2008
by THE LOTTERY COMPANY LIMITED HIGH STAKES INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS LOTTERY.
Your email address, attached to ticket number 27522465896-6453, with serial
number 3772-554 drew the lucky numbers 7-14-18-31-45, and consequently won
in the 2nd Category of the lottery.
You have therefore been approved for a lump sum of 3,000,000.00 EUROS in
cash credited to file REF NO: 538901527-BC68. This is from the total prize
money of 100,000,000.00 EUROS shared among the various international winners
in this category. All participants were selected through a computer ballot
system drawn from 30,000 names and 20,000,000 email addresses from
Australia, New Zealand, America, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa as
part of our International Promotions Program, which is conducted twice a
year.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Your fund is now available for claim. Due to the mix up of some numbers and
names, we ask that you keep this award strictly from public notice until
your claim has been processed and your money remitted to your account.
This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or
unscrupulous acts by participants of this promotion. We hope with part of
your prize, you will participate in our next year high stakes 5,000,000.00
Euros International Lottery.
To begin your claim, please contact your claim Agent
MS.MARY GRAHAM
Mega trust Corporations.
**grahammary37@yahoo.com*<http://us.mc569.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=grahammary37@yahoo.com>
*For due processing and remittance of your prize money to a designated
account of your choice. Remember, all prize money must be claimed not later
than two weeks after notice. After this date, all funds will be returned as
unclaimed.
NOTE: In order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please
remember to quote your reference and batch numbers in every one of your
correspondences with your agent. Furthermore, should there be any change of
your address, do inform your claims agent as soon as possible.
Congratulations again and thank you for being part of our lottery
promotions.
Sincerely yours,
Katrin Wallace
PROMOTIONS MANAGER.
*

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam