419 scam: "Mr. Chris Harla" <fotopoulos1@ameritech.net> reply

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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:
- "million dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "monrovia" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- "liberia" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Chris Harla" <fotopoulos1@ameritech.net>
Reply-To: "Mr. Chris Harla" <chris_harla@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 2015 14:08:58 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: reply

Hello,
I am seeking for your assistance to be my foreign partner and investor in your country, if you can assure me safety and trust of the fund as you receive it. I humbling appreciate your time to go through this message. My name is Mr. Chris Harla from Monrovia, Liberia. I discovered your email through extensive web email search on directory, so I decided to contact you for this investment project. I know this might sound like game to you because of the activities going on in the internet today even in the church. But I assure you that this is not a joke and I know you are capable to handle this project. So I write you this letter in good faith as it pleases you, for us to make progress.

I lodge the sum of Forty eight Million Dollars in an escrow account for safe keeping. So I want you to help me invest this fund into any profitable business.

In other words, I am writing to seek your support as a faithful person to receive this money in your country as my partner and investor. 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 work with me to make this successful.

I am looking forward to hear from you.
Best regards,
Mr. Chris Harla.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam