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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: Hoffarth Habib <hoffarthhabibdr@gmail.com>
Reply-To: dr.hoffarth_habib@yahoo.fr
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:43:37 +0100
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.

Please get back to me through this email address (dr.hoffarth_habib@yahoo.fr)

Yours Sincerely.

Dr. Hoffarth Habib.

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