Scam Money Transfers -
Fake Grants
Example - Fondazione Zegna
-
Romola Loesche [dloesche@gci.net]
Mr. Abbiati Perino, Italy
Here's a variation on the basic scam money transfer email.
You received a a check in the mail from "Fondazione Zegna", possibly using a name "Mr. Abbiati Perino"
or from Romola Loesche [ dloesche@gci.net ], of which
you are supposed to return 10% to them (at this point you should be asking
yourself, why they didn't just keep the 10%!)
Did the email say:
This email might come to you as a suprise / shock. The board of Trusteesof the Fondazione Zegna has given you the privilege to be a Beneficiary for the 2008 Cash / Grant Award.
In some cases, the alleged organizations, like "Fondazione Zegna" do
exist and may be legitimate. Don't let the familiar name fool you. The scammer
has nothing to do with them; the
email and the grant are all nonsense. If you believe that there are
organizations randomly handing out money like this, then we fear you may have been scammed already!
If you need more tangible proof, ask yourself this: why
would an substantial organization with a website ask you to reply to a yahoo (or
hotmail or other) generic, free email address, unrelated to the organization,
which ANYONE could get?
In the specific case below (Fondazione Zegna) there are quite a number of inconsistencies that add up to
"scam" to us. See the email below and a review of the available facts
following it.
And if you were crazy enough to write back to them,
click here to a typical response the
scammers send.
Sample actual scam letter from "Fondazione Zegna":
Fondazione Zegna
Via Marconi 23,
(Biella) 13835 Italy
Dear Internet User.
This email might come to you as a
suprise /
shock. The board of Trusteesof the Fondazione Zegna has given you
the privilege to be a Beneficiary for the 2008 Cash / Grant Award.
Fondazione Zegna was established on the
initiative of Casa Zegna in the year 1982 to help individuals and
companies to carry out philanthropic, cultural, environmental or
scientific projects and socialactivities.
It is a private non-profit organization
recognized by the government as a charity working in the public
interest. Through the Foundation, we put into practice our moral
commitment to improving the quality of life of individuals and
communities, safeguarding the environment, promoting culture,
developing people’s potential and supporting medicaland scientific
research. In July 2007, we inaugurated an historical archive and
new cultural center - Casa Zegna - in Trivero, the heart of our
family history. Casa Zegna was created under the aegis of the
Foundation and is a mine of business history, environmental and
social projects and a crucible in which tradition can be transformed
into new ideas.
After the good work of the Fondazione Zegna,
the United Nation decided to contribute, which bring the interest
of European Union and the Economic Community of West Africa State.
Based on the random selection exercise of
internet websites and millions of supermarket cash invoices
worldwide, you were selected amongst the lucky recipients to
receive the award sum of US$ 650,000.00 as charity donations/aid.
(Note that all beneficiaries email addresses were selected randomly
from over 100,000 internet websites or a shop's cash invoice
around your area in which you might have purchased something from).
To file your claim, you are to produce the
below information and email it to the Executive Secretary with the
email as stated below.
Full Name:
Address:
Country:
Tel/Fax number:
Age:
Qualification number:FCZ-T89-ITL887
Executive Secretary: Mr. Abbiati Perino
Email:
zegnamessagecenter@gmail.com
On behalf of the Board kindly, accept our
warmest congratulations.
Regards
Zegna Fondazione
* | 
