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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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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.
• The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "fondazione di vittorio" (not involved with lotteries)
  • "vittorio fondazione" (not involved with lotteries)
  • "vittorio foundation" (not involved with lotteries)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "please endeavor to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "(ecowas)" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • info_fabgiovanni@yahoo.it (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: infovittorio.com@mchsi.com (VITTORIO FONDAZIONE)
Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2007 04:06:17 +0000
Subject: IMPROTANT NOTICE

VITTORIO FONDAZIONE.

The Foundazion di Vittorio, would like to notify you that you have been chosen
by the board of trustees as one of the final recipients of a cash
Grant/Donation for your own personal, educational, and business development.
The Fondazione Di Vittorio, established 1977 by the Multi- Million groups and
now supported by the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS),
United Nations Organization (UNO) and the European Union (EU) was conceived
with the objective of human growth, educational, and community development.To
celebrate the 28th anniversary program, The Vittorio Foundation in conjunction
with the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS), United Nations
Organization (UNO) and the European Union (EU) is giving out a yearly donation
of $250,000.00 US Dollar(Two hunderd and fifty thousand United States
Dollars) to 100 lucky recipients. Based on the random selection exercise of
internet websites and millions of supermarket cash invoices worldwide, you were
selected among the lucky recipients to receive the award sum of$250,000.00 US
Dollar(Two hunderd and fifty thousand United States Dollars) as charity
donations/aid from the Vittorio Foundation, ECOWAS, EU and the UNO in
accordance with the enabling act of Parliament. You are required to fill the
form below and email it to our Executive Secretary below for qualification
documentation and processing of your claims. After contacting our office with
the requested data, you will be given your donation pin number, which you will
use in collecting the funds. Please endeavor to quote your Qualification
numbers (N-222- 6747, E-900-56) in all discussions.

FULL NAMES:__________ADDRESS: ________________STATE:___________ ZIP:

________COUNTRY________SEX:________AGE:________OCCUPATION:________E-MAIL
ADDRESS:________TELEPHONE NUMBER:_________

Executive Secretary- Fabio Giovanni
Email: info_fabgiovanni@yahoo.it

Regards.
Mrs. Sparo Malcom
{Foundation Officer

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam