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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!
  
• How to report 419 spam to us
• 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:
  • "00,000.00" (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: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: clarksterry@live.com
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:44:06 -0000
Subject: YOU ARE A WINNER


Planet49 online Lottery Promotions
P O Box 1110
London, L79 2NL
UNITED KINGDOM
(Customer Services)

http://www.planet49.co.uk/cgi-bin/49login.pl

Dear Selected winner,
I am happy to bring to your notice that your email address have just won
you the lump sum of £500,000.00 GBP in the planet49 lottery draws
conducted last night! The numbers that were chosen by our computer ballot
system on your behalf on `02.09.2008 were the following:5 - 23 - 28 - 30 -
38 - 39 Bonus Ball: 40 These numbers are only valid for the owner of this
email address on 14.09.2008 at 21:30.Today’s winning numbers are:5 - 21 -
28 - 30 - 38 - 39 Bonus Ball: 40
You have won today, reply to this email immediately on how to claim your
prize sum of £500,000 GBP sterling below.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Terry Clarkson
clarksterry@live.com

Provide him with the information below:
1.Full Name: 2.Full Address: 3.Marital Status:4.Occupation: 5.Age: 6.Sex:
7.Nationality: 8.Country Of Residence: 9.Telephone Number:

Thank you for being part of our online promotional lottery program.

Yours Truly,
Mark Hughes
Online Co-ordinator

N.B:Please do not reply to this box you will not be attended becuase it is
strictly for this message.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam