419 scam: "FDV & ECOWAS Committee Payout Office" <info@msn.com> Congratulations The E.C.O.W.A.S Committe has chosen

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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:
- "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!

Fraud email example:

From: "FDV & ECOWAS Committee Payout Office" <info@msn.com>
Reply-To: fdv.ecowasdept1@9.cn
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 2009 02:48:22 -0400
Subject: Congratulations The E.C.O.W.A.S Committe has chosen

ECOWAS COMMITTEE
Payout Office
Gariki Avenue Abuja
West Africa

Congratulations The E.C.O.W.A.S Committe has chosen you by the board of
trustees as one of the final recipients of a cash Grant/Donation for
your own personal,educational, and business development. To celebrate
the 30th anniversary 2009 program, We are giving out a yearly donation of
US$250,000.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars) each to 10 lucky
recipients, as charity donations/aid from the Foundazione Di
Vittirio,ECOWAS, and EU in accordance with the enabling act of
Parliament.

To file your claims please send your Donation number eco435s and
reference number it633p as well personal contact details with the
format below to our agent

Full Name:
Contact Address:
Occupation:
Email:
Telephone number:
Donation Numbers:
Amount Won: 250,000.00

For Payment Remitance Contact him by email immediately
Mr Barry Henry
E-MAIL:fdv.ecowasdept1@9.cn

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Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam