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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:
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
• 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.
  • mail2lynxcourierservices@gmail.com

Fraud email example:

From: "UK LOTTERY PROMOTION" <info@web.org>
Reply-To: mail2lynxcourierservices@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:44:00 +0530 (IST)
Subject: Lottery Winner

THE NATIONAL LOTTERY BOARD
PROMOTION/PRIZE AWARD
HOME OFFICE: 165 FULHAM PALACE RD. W6 8JB
UNITED KINGDOM.
Ref: UK/9420X2/68
Batch: 074/05/ZY369
Attn:Winner
In regard to our online electronic
email draw of 9th Aug 2008,
the UK Gaming Board, has attached
your winning email address to refrence number
Ref: UK/9420X2/68..
Be informed that your Email address
won you the sum of £250,000.00
(Two Hundred And Fifty Thousand Pounds sterling).

PLEASE DO ENSURE THAT YOU CONTACT
OUR PAYING COURIER COMPANY

LYNX COURIER COMPANY
Dispatch Officer:Mr William Page
Via email:mail2lynxcourierservices@gmail.com

You will also provide him with these information;
FULL NAME
WINNING E-MAIL ADDRESS
FULL ADDRESS
SEX
COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE
AGE
OCCUPATION
TELEPHONE
MOBILE
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
Please Quote Your Reference Number as Ref: UK/9420X2/68
when You are Filling Your Claims.
Congratulations From All Our Members Of Staff.


-- Sent at 07:49:02 on 08/19/08 through NITK (http://www.nitk.ac.in/) Email Gateway . AV scanning & Spam checking are done on this mail --

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam