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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:
  • "fudiciary" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "transfer of your funds" (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)
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "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)
  • "courier service" (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 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.
  • +447045738188 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: un_lotterian@live.com
Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2008 20:41:34 -0300 (CLST)
Subject: [SPAM]OFFICIAL PRIZE WINNING




United Nations Lotto International,
Office of the Secretary General,
United Nations Plaza Washington D C.
Unites States.


We are pleased to inform you of the result of the just concluded draws
of United Nations lottery held on behalf of South Africa World Cup
2010.United Nations lottery draws was conducted from an exclusive list
of 30,000,000 e-mail addresses of individual and corporate bodies picked
by an automated random computer ballot search from the internet. No
tickets were sold.

After this automated computer ballot, your e-mail address attached to
serial number 72-16-27 drew the lucky numbers 4-68-80-26-97, which
consequently emerged as one of first ten (10) lucky winners.

You have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay off of 1,000,000.00
(One Million EURO) in cash credited to file UN/18/1987.This is from
total cash Prize of €50 Million Euro shared amongst the first fifty-
(50) lucky winners all around the world.

Please note that your lucky number falls within our European booklet
representative office in London. To claim your prize funds, you are to
contact our fudiciary agent to claim your prize.

For a telegraphic transfer of your funds to your private bank account,
you are required to send your name and address in full, phone number,
bank name, and bank address, next of kin, account number,
Swift/Routing/Sort Code, so as to facilitate the release of your funds
to your stated bank account. For a courier service delivery ,you are
required to send your name, phone number, information of next of kin,
mailing address(home or office address), so as to facilitate the
release of your Funds to your desired address. You are required to send
the necessary information to our agent.

Name: Joseph Newman
Tel (1): +44-704-573-8188
Tel (2): +44-704-574-1579
E-mail:un_lotterian@live.com

You will be assisted in the processing and remittance of your prize fund.

Mr. James Robertson
Promotions Director.
United Nations lottery.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam