419 scam: "Elias Harris"<eliass.hariss@hotmail.com> Urgent Request

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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.
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: "Elias Harris" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <eliass.hariss@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:06:22 -0700
Subject: Urgent Request

Greetings,

I am an investment adviser to an ex-minister in the government of the former Egyptian

president Hosni Mubarak. I am sure you are aware that the regime of Mubarak fell apart in

February 2011. That incident has necessitated the need to reinvest my client’s wealth to

prevent the new government from seizing them. And so, I solicit your assistance to reinvest

the sum of US$25 million in your country, as you would suggest.
Since the present government is aware of my financial association with this client, my

direct involvement may hamper the success of the transaction. Consequently, your role would

be to liaise with the account’s manger in the bank for the smooth transfer of the money to

your country.
While I count on your honesty, kindly inform me what would be your fees on conclusion, the

expenses that you may encounter and all tax liabilities.

Sincerely,
Elias Harris

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam