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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "22 garden close, stamford" (address often used in fake lottery scams)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "hundred thousand great british 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!

Fraud email example:

From: =?utf-8?q?British=20International=20Lottery=20British=20International=20L?= =?utf-8?q?ottery?= <info_britishlotterypromo2008@yahoo.com.co>
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:48:11 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE WON OUR LOTTERY PROMO 2008


¡Tengo nueva dirección de correo!Ahora puedes escribirme a:info_britishlotterypromo2008@yahoo.com.co



- BRITISH NATIONAL LOTTERY PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT, 22 Garden Close, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 2YP, London United Kingdom.Attention:OUR DEAR WINNER, This is to inform you that you have been selected for a cash prize ofTWO MILLION AND FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND GREAT BRITISH POUNDS( £2.5m,) from the BRITISH NATIONAL LOTTERY, International programmes held on saturday 2nd of august 2008, in London United Kingdom.The selection process was carried out through random selection in our computerized email selection system(ess) from a database of over 5,000 email addresses drawn from all the continents of the world which you were selected. to claim the sum of £2.5m .You must contact our oversea redemption payment office for immediate release of your prize money. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 56475600545 drew the lucky numbers: 20-22-23-26-31-47 that subsequently won you the lottery in the 2nd category. The British National Lottery is approved by the British Gaming Board and also Licensed by the The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR). This promotional lottery is the 3rd of its kind and we intend to sensitize the public.To begin the processing of your prize you are to contact our fundiciary claims department through the below given name and address for more information as regards procedures to claim your prize money. For our effective service and processing of your payment do include the following personal information as stated below: 1.YOUR FULL NAME AND HOME ADDRESS.2.YOUR OCCUPATION.3.YOUR AGE.4.YOUR MARITAL STATUS.5.YOUR BANK INFORMATION/ACCOUNT NUMBER.6.YOUR CUURENT TEL/FAX NUMBERS.7.YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE.8.YOUR NEXT OF KIN. Dr.David Coleman (Overseas Payment Officer)EMAIL:info.lottowinprocessing@yahoo.co.uk.Yours sincerely,DR.MRS MARTINA YOUNGCongratulation once again!!!Signed managementUk Gaming board(UGB)

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam