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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:

• 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.
  • contactmicrosoftclaimsagent@gmail.com

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2008 20:04:54 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Your Reference No:BSH-L/L-2810


Microsoft Corporations:=20
Customer Service=20
Your Reference No:BSH-L/L-2810=20
Your Batch No: 2008/101/MIC=20

OFFICIAL WINNING NOTIFICATION.=20

We are pleased to inform you of the release of the long awaited results of =
Sweepstakes promotion organized by=20
Microsoft, in conjunction with the foundation for the promotion of software=
products, (F.P.S.) held this=20
September 2008, in Spain. Where in your email address emerged as one of the=
online Winning emails in the 2nd=20
category and therefore attracted a cash award of 250,000.00 (Two Hundred an=
d Fifty Thousand Euros) and a=20
Dell laptop.=20
To begin your claim, do file for the release of your winning by contacting =
our Foreign Transfer Manager.

Mr:Celino Ramses
Tel/ 0034634174392=20
Fax/ 0034917919173
Email/contactmicrosoftclaimsagent@gmail.com=20

The Microsoft Internet E-mail lottery Awards is sponsored by former CEO/Cha=
irman, Bill Gates and a consortium=20
of software promotion companies. The Intel Group, Toshiba, Dell Computers a=
nd other International Companies.=20
The Microsoft internet E-mail draw is held periodically and is organized to=
encourage the use of the Internet and=20
promote computer literacy worldwide.=20
Congratulations!!=20

Sincerely,=20
Mrs. Maria Alanjedro=20
Promotions Manager.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam