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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "yahoo/msn lottery inc" (no such lottery exists)
  • "yahoo/msn lottery" (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")
  • "greater london" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "dear beneficiary," (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
• 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.
  • +447045799960 (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.
  • claims_onlinepromo_002@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "YAHOOMSN LOTTERY" <yahoomsnlottery@hamdard.net.pk>
Reply-To: claims_onlinepromo_002@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 19:14:02 +0500
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS! YOUR EMAIL I.D HAS WON THE YAHOO/MSN AWARD 2008 !!!.

Yahoo/Msn Lottery Incoperation
Baley House, Har Road Sutton,
Greater London SM1 4te
United Kingdom.

Dear Beneficiary,

This is to inform you that you have won a prize of(200,000) TWO
HUNDRED
THOUSAND GREAT BRITAIN POUNDS STERLINGS in this year yahoo/msn Lottery
promotion award organized by YAHOO/MSN LOTTERY INC & WINDOWS LIVE.
YAHOO AND MSN MICROSOFT WINDOWS, collects all the email addresses of
active
online internet users among the millions that subscribed to Yahoo and
Hotmail
we only select five people in a year as our winners through
electronic balloting System without the winner applying.
We congratulate you for being one of the persons selected for this
final
award.

PAYMENT OF PRIZE AND CLAIM
You are to contact your Claims Agent on or before your date of Claim,
Winners
Shall be paid in accordance with his/her Settlement Centre.
Yahoo/Msn Lottery Prize must be claimed no later than 10 days from date
of
Draw
Notification after the Draw date in which Prize was won.Any prize not
claimed
within this period will be forfeited.

These are your identification numbers:
Winning number...................YM09788
Personal Number (confidential: YM-221345-2008-A)
These numbers fall within your Location file,you are requested to
contact
EVENTS MANAGER,
send your winning identification numbers to Him in this contact address
below.

(CONTACT EVENTS MANAGER)
MR. DONALD MORRISON (Phd)
Email: claims_onlinepromo_002@yahoo.com
Tel: (+44) 7045-7999-60

You are therefore advised to send the following information to the
EVENTS
AGENT
to facilitate them and process the COURIER for your money.

NAME:.....................................
AGE:........................................
SEX:........................................
ADDRESS:..............................
EMAIL:....................................
PHONE:...................................
OCCUPATION: ......................
COMPANY:..............................
NEXT OF KIN. ..........................
STATE......................................
COUNTRY:................................
NATIONALITY...........................

Congratulations once again in anticipation of getting your won prize on
time !!!

Truely Yours,
Mrs Victoria Moore.
Online Co-ordinator

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam