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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:
  • "claim agent" (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 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.
  • jeffthomasukclaim@hotmail.com

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:06:02 +0000
Subject: FINAL NOTICE!!

We happily announce to you again about our LOTTERY
price won by you a week ago.
You have been approved to claim a total sum of{£750,000}pounds
REF: XYL/26510460037/08,
Batch 24/00319/006/IPD.
All participants for the online version were selected randomly from the
World Wide Web through a computer draw system and extracted from over
100,000 unions, associations, and corporatebodies that are listed online.
Your e-mail address attached to e-ticket number:03- 15-19-24-28-34
(with bonus ball 17)drewa prize of £750,000 per winner.
This lucky draw came first in the 2nd Category of the Sweepstake.
Contact Our Claim Agent Thomas Jeff(Sir)
via below Email
EMAIL: jeffthomasukclaim@hotmail.com
with the Following
NAME:
ADDRESS:
AMOUNT WON:
EMAIL:
COUNTRY:
PHONE NUMBER
AGE:
SEX
OCCUPATION:

Congratulations in advance.
Yours Faithfully,
Mrs. Carolyna Anderson
EmailCopyright © 2008

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam