419 scam: sofiahassan4@aol.com URGENT RESPOND NEEDED

joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet

Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days

Home

About Us

Spam

419/Nigeria

Fraud

Contact

"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.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "may come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "united state of america" (this email uses bad English)
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a next of kin scam.
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.
- +22967454449 (Benin, probably a 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.
- hassan.sofia2014@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
- contact me through my personal email address: hassan.sofia2014@gmail.com} or [ hassan.sofia2016@gmail.com please i would like you (Gmail; can be used from anywhere worldwide)

Fraud email example:

From: sofiahassan4@aol.com
Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2017 04:33:15 -0500
Subject: URGENT RESPOND NEEDED

Dear friend,

I know that this letter may come to you as a surprise, I got your contact address from the computerized search. My name is Ms. Sofia Hassan (assistant) Manager of
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Cotonou Benin Republic

In my department I discovered an abandoned sum of Five million three hundred thousand United State of American dollars (5.3 MILLION USA DOLLARS) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer Mr Kurt Kuhle from Alexandra Egypt who died along with his family in Siber airline that crashed into sea at Isreal on 4th October 2006.

Since I got information about his death I have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we can not release it unless somebody applies for it as the next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines, but unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside
with him in the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.

It is therefore upon this discovery that I decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and I don't want the money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill.

Am contacting you because our deceased customer is a foreigner and a Beninuan can not stand as a next of kin to a foreign customer.

The banking guidelines stipulate that the fund should be transferred into the bank treasury after 9 years if nobody is coming for the claim.

I have agreed that 50% of this money will be for you as foreign partner in respect to the provision of your account for the transfer, and 50% would be for me, after which I shall visit your country for disbursement according to the percentages indicated.

Should you be interest in this transaction, kindly contact me through my personal email address: hassan.sofia2014@gmail.com} or [ hassan.sofia2016@gmail.com

Please I would like you to keep this transaction confidential and as a top secret as you may wish to know that I am a bank official.

Yours sincerely,
Ms. Sofia Hassan
+229 67 45 44 49

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam