419 scam: "Mrs Benita Michael" <benitamic01@yahoo.com> YOUR ADVISE

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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "huge deposit" (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)
- "million us 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)
- "utmost confidentiality" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mrs Benita Michael" <benitamic01@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: benitamic03@presidency.com
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2010 05:29:13 -0600
Subject: YOUR ADVISE

Mrs Benita Michael.
Zenith Bank (Nig) PLC
Lagos Nigeria.

Dear Friend,
My name is Mrs Benita Michael,I am a banker and Senior Manager Foreign
Bill with Zenith Bank (Nig) PLC; I am the personal Accounts Manager to
your Late cousin ENGINEER (Michael Davis) a National of your country,who
is a contractor with the DEPARTMENT OF PETROLEUM RESOURCES VICTORIA
ISLAND,LAGOS.

Here in after referred to as my client. On 30 JAN 2000, my client, his
wife, and their two children were involved in the Kenya airways Crash with
registration number 5Y-BEN which departed from Nairobi to destination
Lagos and they all family died in this fatal Air crash on 30 JAN 2000
Since then I have made several inquiries to your embassy to locate any of
my clients extended Relatives, but to no avail.In view of these several
unsuccessful attempts, hence I contacted you.

I have contacted you to assist in repatriating the money and property left
behind by my client before they get confiscated or declared in serviceable
by the bank where these huge deposits were lodged, particularly the Zenith
Bank (Nig) PLC. Where the deceased had an account Valued at about
($6.2million u s dollars) has issued me a notice to provide the next of
kin. Or have the account confiscated within the next Fifteen official
working days. Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for
over 5 years now,

I seek your consent and utmost confidentiality to present you as the next
of kin of the deceased. so that the proceeds of this account valued at
($6.2million US Dollars) can be paid to you ,then you and me Can share the
money on the ration.60% to me and 40% to you, also note that. we might
seek in this transaction an attorney who will be contracted to help us
revalidate and notarize all the relevant legal documents that can be used
to back up any claim we may make.

All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us see this deal
through by keeping this transations very close to your heart untill the
fund is released to you. I guarantee that this will be executed under a
legitimate arrangement that will protect you and me
from any breach of the law.

Yours faithfully,
Mrs Benita Michael.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam