419 scam: "ECOWAS Donations Games/Lottery 2010"<info2@ecowas.int> CONGRATULATION (CONTACT FINANCE DEPARTMENT FOR CLAIMS) !!!

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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:

An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
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:
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
- "ecowas " (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned 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 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.
- +2347031363066 (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.
- frankedward970@aim.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "ECOWAS Donations Games/Lottery 2010" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <frankedward470@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 25 May 2010 00:48:52 +0100
Subject: CONGRATULATION (CONTACT FINANCE DEPARTMENT FOR CLAIMS) !!!

Ecowas Donations 2009
101 Yakubu Gowon Cresent
Asokoro District P.M.B. 401
Abuja, Nigeria.
Tel: +2347031363066
Website:www.ecowas.int

This is to inform you that you have won a prize of Eight Hundred And
Fifty Thousand United State Dollars,($850,000.00)for this year 2010
Sweepstake which is organized by ECOWAS DONATIONS 2010.

ECOWAS DONATIONS 2010, collects all active email addresses
online,among the millions that subscribes to the Internet.we
only select five people every Year as our winners through
electronic balloting System without the winner applying,we congratulate
you for being one of the people selected.

You are to contact the events manager on or before your date of Claim,
Winners Shall be paid in accordance with his/her Settlement ntre.Ecowas
Donations Prize must be claimed no later than 10 days from date of Draw
Notification after the Draw date in which Prize has won. Any prize not
claimed within this period will be forfeited.

These are your identification numbers:

Batch number......................ECW 09102XN
Reff number.......................ECW35447XN
Winning number...................ECW09788

These numbers fall within your Location file,you are requested to contact
the events manager/Claims Department,send your winning identification
numbers and the information below to him,to enable him verify your claims.

Full Name:
Full Contact Address:
Phone Number:
Age:
Sex:
Occupation:
Country:

(CONTACT FINANCE DEPARTMENT)
Name:Mr. Frank Edward
E-mail:frankedward970@aim.com
TEL:+2347031363066

Thank you and Accept my hearty congratulations once again!

Yours faithfully,
Mrs.Florence Nima
(Ecowas Donations Games/Lottery 2010 Coordinator).

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam