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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!
  
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• 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:

• 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:
  • "million pounds" (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.
  • owenstone02@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Lucky Winner" <promodraw3@gmail.com>
Reply-To: owenstone02@hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:41:18 +0200
Subject: =?WINDOWS-1256?Q?CHECK_YOUR_MAIL=FE?=


HUMANITARIAN ORGANISATION
HEAD OFFICE
ST GEORGES COURT ,
2-12 BLOOMSBURY WAY ,
LONDON , WC1A 2SH
UNITED KINGDOM

Dear Winner,

My name is Mrs. Anita.K.Cole on behalf of Humanitarian Organization
Promotion London, United Kingdom; I wish to announce you as one of the 3
lucky winners in the Lotto draw held on Friday July 4th 2008. All 3 winning
addresses were randomly selected from a batch of 50,000 international
emails. Your email address emerged along side 2 others as a 2nd category
winner. Consequently, you have therefore been approved for a total pay out
of #350,000.00(Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Pounds Sterling only).



The following particulars are attached to your lotto payment order:



(I) Serial Batch No: 83200-0
(II) Winning Number: 9, 2,9,4,6 Bonus 25, 15
(III) Ref No: 175-02906041-216.
Please contact the under mentioned claim officer as soon as possible for the
immediate release of your winnings:



The Fund Release Order Foreign Operation & International Humanitarian
Organization Center Contact Person:



Mr. OWEN STONE.
Email:owenstone02@hotmail.com
forward the below listed details for immediate commencement of your payment
process:-


1. Your Full Name
2. Wining and Reference numbers:
3. Occupation:
4. Country .
5. Age:
6.Telephone & Mobile number:
7.City :



This email notification is auto-generated and it is valid for four weeks.
Once again on behalf of all our staff, CONGRATULATIONS!!!



Sincerely,
Mrs. Anita.K.Cole


The Lotto Awards is proudly sponsored by the African/European Union Lotto
corporation/Microsoft Companies, the Intel Group, Toshiba, Dell computers
Mackintosh and a conglomeration of other international IT companies in order
to promote the FIFA 2010 World Cup to be held in SOUTH AFRICA . The lotto
internet draw is organized to encourage the use of the internet and
computers worldwide. We are proud to say that over 200 Million Pounds are
won annually in more than 150 countries worldwide.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam