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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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• 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.
  • +2348038704396 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • unicefofficer1@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
  • 3aunicefofficer1@gmail.com

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: unicefofficer1@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2008 16:58:09 +0100
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!!!(YOU WON $350,000 IN UNICEF LOTTERY)


Date: 6th-November-2008
Ref 575061725
Fin: MX276
Batch:8056490902/156
Winning no: AF5431/ LPRC

This is to inform you that you have been awarded the sum of $350,000 Three
Hundred And Fifty Thousand United States Dollars in the 2008 United Nations
Children Emergency Funds (UNICEF).
UNICEF collects all the email addresses of the people that are active
online. Six people were selected to benefit from this Financial Aid
programme and you are one of the Beneficiaries.

PAYMENT AND CLAIM OF THE STATED SUM

Beneficiaries shall be paid in accordance with the standing payment
guidelines. UNICEF Aid fund must be claimed not later than 20 days from date
of this Notification. Any Prize not claimed within this period will be
returned to the Treasury of the UNICEF.The Information above fall within the
Nigeria Location file and you are requested to contact the claims department
and send them your Fund

Identification Numbers [FIN];CONTACT INFORMATION FUND CLAIM DEPARTMENT
UNICEF.

Name: James Damian.
Email:unicefofficer1@gmail.com <Email%3Aunicefofficer1@gmail.com>
Tel: +234-803-8704396

He shall immediately commence the process that will facilitate the release
of your fund to you. Fill in the complete informations in the form below for
the release of your fund.

Name:..................................
Age:.....................................
Sex:.....................................
Occupation:..........................
Current Address:......................
Country:...................................
Telephone
No:.(Mobile)............................(Office)......................

Congratulations!! once again.
Yours in service,
Dr.(Mrs.) MELLISSA HELENS.
[Publicity Secretary]
******************************************************************************************
WARNING!
You may also receive similar e-mails from people portraying to be other
Organizations or UNICEF. This is solely to collect your personal information
from you and lay claim over your Fund. If you receive any mail similar to
this notification letter, Kindly forward a copy to us and delete it from
your mail box and give no further correspondence to such person or body.

UNICEF shall not be held responsible for any loss of fund arising from the
above mentioned

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam