419 scam: "Richard C. Mason"<hzzxfc@hzzxfc.com> Write back only if interested

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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:

An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
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)
- "hundred thousand united states 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)
- "here in united kingdom" (this email uses bad English)
This email message is a next of kin scam.
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.
- christianmason247@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Richard C. Mason" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <christianmason247@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2017 21:01:32 -0700
Subject: Write back only if interested

Dear friend.

I assume you and your family are in good health. I am Richard C. Mason by name and a banker in audit department with one of the banks here in United Kingdom.

I want to inform you of my late customer, Mr. Bilger, who deposited the sum of $12.5M USD (Twelve Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in our bank here UK and in 2006. Sadly late Mr. Bilger died with his family in a crash. He died without any registered next of kin.

I was his account officer and the bank gave me the final mandate to present any relative of my late customer Mr. Bilger, for the claim of the fund or they will have the fund confiscated into the state treasury if not claimed.

After a long search to find any member of his family to claim the fund but I couldn't, I decided to contact you. Please I would like you to help me out, so that I can present you as the relative and legal next of kin to my late customer, so that my bank will release the funds to you.

No risk involved in this transaction, I assure you that this transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law both in your country and here in UK once the fund is transferred to your bank account.

After the successful fund transfer to you, I will be coming to your Country for disbursement and further business establishment in areas of business you consider favorable. Please treat this business proposal with utmost confidentiality and write back to CHRISTIANMASON247@GMAIL.COM for the transfer further details only if you are interested.

Please do reply me as soon as you can
Yours Sincerely,
Richard C. Mason
PLEASE FORWARD YOUR REPLY TO (CHRISTIANMASON247@GMAIL.COM)

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam