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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:

Fraud email example:

From: "Dr.Hoffarth Habib" <inginer@ecolux.md>
Reply-To: dr.hoffarth_habib@yahoo.fr
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 20:20:17 +0300
Subject: From: Dr. Hoffarth Habib

From: Dr. Hoffarth Habib.
01 bp 266, ccp no: 34-167
Cotonou, Republique du Benin.

Dearest Friend,

I am Dr. Hoffarth Habib, principal treasury officer with my bank. I have
decided to contact you through this medium based on a business proposal,
which will be of mutual benefit to both of us.

I know you will be surprise to read my email I got your contact from your
email domain, apart from being surprise you may be skeptical to reply back
to me due to what is going on in the internet world today one has to be
very careful because a lot of scammer are out there to scam innocent
people and this has made it very difficult for people to believe anything
that comes through the internet but my proposal is a different case.

I am the personal account officer to one of our late client, a national of
your country, who used to work with societe beninoise d’energie
electrique (SBEE) here in republique du Benin as an engineer and a
contractor on energy maintenance, my late client made a numbered time
(fixed) deposited for twelve calendar months, valued at $18,500,000.00
(Eighteen Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in my
branch. Upon maturity, we sent a routine notification to his forwarding
address but got no reply.

After a month, we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his
contract employers, societe beninoise d’energie electrique (SBEE) that
my client died from an automobile accident. On further investigation, I
found out that he did not leave a will and all attempts to trace his next
of kin were fruitless. I therefore made further investigation and
discovered that the deceased person did not declare any next of kin in all
his official documents, including his bank deposit paperwork with our
bank.

This sum of ($18,500,000.00) is still sitting in our bank and the interest
is rolled over with the principal sum at the end of each year. No one will
come forward to claim it. According to the republique du Benin law, at
the expiration of 5{five} years, the money will revert to the ownership of
the Benin government if nobody applies to claim the funds.

Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand
in as the next of kin to deceased person for the fact that you have same
last name with him so that this money will not be reverted by the
government. If this request matches with your inward intention for success
and greatness, then you are urged to make a quick response indicating your
interest and readiness to participate and work with me to make this
transaction successful to your account.

Please observe utmost confidentiality, and rest assured that this
transaction would be most profitable for both of us because I shall
require your assistance to my share for investment in your country. In
your return mail, please do forward me your following information if you
are willing to complete this deal with me, to enable me put the total
funds in your name for claim as the next of kin to the deceased person:

Your full name:
Your contact address:
Your phone number:
Your age:

Awaiting your urgent reply for more details on claim process in your name.

Yours Sincerely.

Dr. Hoffarth Habib


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