419 scam: "Mr. Karen Watson"<eurolotterypaymentbarreu@eurouklottery.org> BREAKING NEWS BBC123456789

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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

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 uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- ",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)
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: "Mr. Karen Watson" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <flarida200001@rediffmail.com>
Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2018 09:36:38 -0800
Subject: BREAKING NEWS BBC123456789

Dear Sir/Madam.

The National lottery in partnership with The British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC) has been endorsed by the British Government to run it
first International Lottery Games show. Thus, We are glad to inform you
today that a New Payment Policy has been adopted, We officially wish to
inform you that your email has won you $4,000,000.00 and it will be
broadcast on BBC TV with ticket reference number:-

Your Winning Ticket Number. 290-65-301
Your Serial Number. 850-56
Your lucky draw Numbers are. 2, 5, 6, 45, 19, Total 77
Bonus Number 23
Your INSURANCE Number: FLD718/470D/GMSA

This fund was awarded to you in form of grant by the National Lotto, World
Bank
Group and European Union as the beneficiary of the first quota of the 2018
global
fund support and International partnership all over the world and is 100%
legitimate.

Therefore it is imperative you treat this as a matter of urgency,hence you
are required to present your particulars as stated below:

Your Full Name:.......................................
Telephone or fax Numbers:.......................
Residential Address:.................................
City/State and Country:............................
Occupation:.............................................
Age:........................................................
Sex:........................................................
Marital Status:.........................................

*NOTE: Becareful not to present falsified details which may render your
chances of claiming your funds very slim.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam