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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claims office" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
• 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.
  • +31619036104 (Netherlands, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: award_info2008@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:18:48 GMT
Subject: ONLINE WINNING DETAILS


ONLINE WINNING NOTIFICATION
The Netherlands National Lottery wishes to congratulate you on your succ=
ess as one of our Ten(10) Star Prize Winner of the online=2E=A0

International Awareness Promotion (IAP) held 14th October2008 in Netherl=
ands=2E=A0

This makes you the proud owner of a prize of (=242=2C500=2C000=2E00 Doll=
ars) To begin processing of your prize=2E=A0

Contact claims officer via below informations=3A=A0
******************************=A0
MR=2E Roland Roethof(Lottery Director)
Phone=3A +31 619 036 104
Fax=3A +31 847 131 027
Email=3Aiap2008claims=40rocketmail=2Ecom
******************************=A0
Contact him=2C with your winning informatiom=2C=A0

REF Number=3A TKP/231-PLGI/0541/08=A0
BATCH No=3A IEU/15/096/QYNL=A0
TICKET No=3A20511456462-7655=A0
SERIAL No=3A472-9758-77=A0
LUCKY No=3A8-66-97-22-NL-208=A0

Also provide listed informations=3A=A0

Names=3A=A0
Address=3A=A0
Sex=3A=A0
Marital Status=3A=A0
Age=3A=A0
Occupation=3A=A0
Phone no=3A=A0
Country=3A=A0

Sincerely yours=2C=A0
Lottery Coordinator

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam