There are affiliate links on this page.
Read our disclosure policy to learn more.

Fake Business Proposal Scams: Sample - Ben Hulk - Death of David Hagen in an Auto Accident

Scam Business Proposals
Example - Ben Hulk - The Estate of David Hagen in an Automobile Accident

Below is yet another real example of a fake business proposal . Again, note the many, many misspellings, poor grammar, use of a yahoo email account and the absurd story. Do you really believe that people who have 12 million UK Pounds die without a will and the money ends up "floating around" to be shared with a random foreigner?  Even if that did happen, it is still called money laundering and it is a crime.

There so many,  many obvious signs that this is a scam, we have added a few comments and merely highlighted some of them in yellow, without additional explanation! We present only those emails from "Ben Hulk", not the replies from the victim (Harish) to protect his identity. Read from the top down; starting here:


From Mr.Benhulk
25 Gresham Street
London EC2V 7HN.
 

In order to transfer out ( Twelve million, five hundred thousand British pounds) from our Bank . I have the courage to look for a reliable and Honest Person who will be capable for this important business Transaction, believing that you will never let me down either now or in Future.

The owner of this account is Mr. David Hagen foreigner and the Manager Of petrol chemical service,a chemical engineer by Proffession and he died since 1990.the account has no other beneficiary And my Investigation proved to me as well that his company does not know anything About this account.

I want to transfer this money into a safe foreign account abroad but i Don't know any foreigner,i know that this message will come to you as a surprise as we don't know ourselves before,but be sure that it is real And A Genuine business.

I believe in God that you will never let me down in this transaction,at the conclusion of this business,you will be giving 30% of the total amount, 70% will be for me.

I look forward to your earliest reply by email for more details benhulk_100@yahoo.com

Best regards

Benhulk

YOUR REPLY IS NEEDED.


Second scam email

Dear Friend,

Thanks for your response and willingness to assist me in the transaction that I have proposed to you. Kindly note that it is 100% risk free like I have said in my first mail as I intend to carryout the transaction obeying the laws of your country and mine.

 

I have noted your response with the apparent belief that you understand the necessity for strict privacy in a transaction of this magnitude and nature being a deal. I make bold to intimate you with the details of my perfected modalities for the realization of this pending project. The project is ready for execution and it is 100% risk-free and hitch-free provided you follow my instructions as the originator of the deal and direct participant with you as my foreign partner. The necessity to follow my instruction can never be undermined as I am committed to not just the successful transfer of the funds per se but a 100% success that guarantees my enjoyment of the proceeds with absolute peace of mind after the transfer.

 

In fact, the essence of the enjoyment of the proceeds with absolute peace of mind is the sole yardstick with which I intend to conduct the affairs of this project. Therefore, I need your re-assurance of total partnership backed up with a positive disposition to promptness in adherence to my instructions. I hereby reassure you that if you follow my instructions religiously, promptly and accordingly, neither your interest nor that of your family will be jeopardized on account of this project. I recognize the magnitude of trust and confidence reposed on me by you availing you to assist me in this deal which will be of mutual benefit to we all. I also recognize the duty which this gesture by you has reposed on me. I shall not let your down; you can count on me.

 

Before intimating you with the details of this project, it is of necessity that I reiterate the importance of confidentiality of the project which must be maintained by we all in the project. We all (including you) must maintain absolute confidentiality of the project and the transfer itself even after the deal has been concluded. The importance of this cannot be over-emphasized and I expect you to know better. I on my part recognized this basic collective essential. Please do not let me down as I am a carrier civil servant who are still in active service and only taking advantage of this once-in-a-life-time opportunity to make provisions for my children's future in this extremely oligrchial society of ours where the rich gets richer and those of us who are not privilege to be descendants of the over-lords are systematically but tacitly being doomed to perpetual poverty by political maneuvers in appointment. I would not want my names or images to be brought to odium.

 

I would normally not be involved in a transaction like this as I am ordinary man of high dignity but after 22 years of serving our father land, I still cannot account for all those years hence Iam sizing this opportunity to provide for my children's future. I have unflinching confidence in being able to achieve 100% success in this project or would not have engaged in the project if I had even an atom of doubt. The only thing capable of marring this confidence is when there is a lapse in the maintenance of confidentiality.

 

Hence, I am reiterating its importance. I count very much on you in this regard.You are to immediately send to me a scanned copy of your international passport and direct mobile phone so I can be able to set my eyes on the face of my partner in business. I also need your assurance on your reliablity and capability in handling this project.

 

Thanks and be blessed.

Regards,
Ben Hulk.
+44 7040 111 679

Ben even attaches a scan of "his passport" Click here to see it.

 

Dear Harish,
 

Greetings to you and to your family. I wait to hear urgently from you to enable me update on you on the next line of action.
 

I wait for your response.

 

Regards,

Ben


And more

Dear Harish,

Thanks for your quick response. Before I proceed and forward the detail modalities of accomplishing this project, I need to know you better  and that was why I asked for the scanned copy of your passport.
Kindly re-scan and forward the passport or drivers license to enable me set my eyes on the face of my partner in this project.
I wait to hear from you.
 
Best regards,
 

Ben


Dear Harish,
Greetings to you and to your family. I appreciated your detail response with the scanned passport.
My attorney will submit an application of claims to the International Remittance Office of our Bank by monday for onward processing of the fund transfer to your account. I wish to inform you that  am working closely with my attorney for the procurement of the needed supportive documents of the inheritance claims and the approval of the fund transfer on your favour by the HM treasury Department. Already, as a seasoned banker, I know most of the required documents by the bank management to approve the fund to any applied beneficiary and I have initiated the paperworks before now.
 
The medical reports and death certificate of the late David Hagen has been procured through a medical professor here in London. The medical reports and death certificate is pertinent to proof really that Mr. David Hagen is dead and my attorney will swear an affidavit of facts on your behalf in the court of competent jurisdiction  by monday. The letter of probate will as well be issued on monday on your name for the replacement of the WILL of the deceased, perhaps he died intestate.
Once all the documents are ready and submitted to the bank through our attorney, I will fax its copies to you for your perusal and acknowledgement. Meanwhile, my attorney will be drafting a memorandum of understanding that will spell out our relationship in this project.I will send you the agreement paper once it is ready and expect you to carefully go through it, comment for amendment if the need be or sign and fax to me for a counter-signing.
Try to call me today so we can talk more on this project.
Thanks and remain blessed.
Regards,
Ben

Dear Harish,
I am not surprised with your email basically on the nature of our contact and high rate of fraud in the world. It is announced always in CNN, BBC and other international media houses. But with your age and experience, you should understand that whatever that has imitation also has real and legal existence. I am for real and can never do anything that will stain my hard-earned reputation nor the image of my great family even for billions of dollars.
If you still doubt me, you can comeover to London in person so we can meet and that will enable you know my kind of family and my nature of person.

If I could handle his project all alone, I wouldn't have contacted you for assistance.
I would advice you to feel free and work on trust and mutual confidence with me.
Call me now at +44 70 40 111 679 so we can discuss further.
I wait for your response.
Regards,
Ben

This next email is interesting as "Ben Hulk" attaches a number of obviously fraudulent documents! A death certificate; a faked and false affidavit, a fake probate letter and a fake account statement

Dear Mr. Harish,
Greetings to you and to your family!
My attorney has successfully procured all the required documents of this transaction and I enclose its scanned copies to this email for your perusal. The original copies of the documents have been submitted to the foreign remittance department of the Natwest Bank for the verifications needed.
The enclosed documents are the scanned copy of the notarized affidavit of facts sworn in the court of competent jurisdiction, which replaces the ''WILL'' of the deceased person. The affidavit recognizes you as the legitimate beneficiary to the account and the estates of the late David Hagen. In case where a late person died without a WILL, the letter of probate is relevant to proof that the applying beneficiary is the legitimate next of kin to the deceased. I also attach a copy of the probate letter from the Probate registry. Attach also is the scanned copy of the death Certificate to the deceased, procured with the assistance of a medical professor here in London.
I have also scanned the computer print out of the account statement of the deceased to guarantee you on the existence of the funds with the Natwest Bank, London Branch.

 

In compliance with the British Inheritance procedures, we are required to present three years tax clearance of the Late David Hagen in respect to the holding fund, I will make the payment from my personal pocket and forward a copy of its official receipt to the HM Treasury Department for approval of foreign exchange allocation on your favour.

 

My attorney is working closely with an insider in the HM Treasury Department and he has assured me that the fund transfer will be approved soonest. As soon as I get more information from my attorney, I will keep you posted. Please, as I have already informed you, you have to make an urgent arrangement to be at the offshore payment office nearest to you to endorse the final fund release order in person being the recognized beneficiary. This will be after the fund must have been approved on your favour and ready to be transferred to your account.
Please, do confirm the good receipt of the documents and call me for further discussion
Thanks and remain blessed.
Regards,
Mr. Ben

 


And now they need a payment in order to release the millions!  What a surprise!

OUR REF: A.D.B/WTD/VOL1/2006

YOU'RE REF: INHERITANCE FUND

ATTN : HARISH

SIR/MADAM,

INRESPECT OF THE MEETING HELD BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK [A.D.B] OUAGADOUGOU-BURKINA FASO THUS CONCLUDED, CONCERN THE REQUEST OF FOREIGN TRANSFER FORM (F.T.F)
DOWNLOAD THE F.T.F THROUGH YOUR ATTACHMENT FILE.

NORMAL BANKING LAWS/REGULATIONS: THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS BANK ORDER YOU TO FILL YOUR FOREIGN TRANSFER FORM (F.T.F) NEATLY AND RETURN WITH YOUR OWN PERSONAL SIGNATURE FOR PROPER NOTIFICATION, INCLUDING THE
APPLICATION SUBMISSION FEES/PROCESSING FEES OF [ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED


AND SEVENTY FIVE DOLLARS, USD$1,275.00] ONLY.

NOTE: WE THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAVE GIVEN YOU ONLY [SEVENTY-TWO HOURS 72HRS] TO FILL YOUR FOREIGN TRANSFER FORM AND RETURN TO FOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT OFFICE, ENCLOSE THE PAYMENT SLIPS OF YOUR APPLICATION SUBMISSION FEES/PROCESSING FEES.

THE SUM SHOULD SEND IN THE NAME OF OUR BANK REGISTER (MR.GEORGE OKORO) THROUGH WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER OR MONEY-GRAM AND SEND THE PAYMENT
CLIPS CONFIRMATION TO THE FOREIGN REMITTANCE OFFICE OF THIS BANK THROUGH FAX/EMAIL ADDRESS FOR PROPER ACCOUNTABILITY.

FORTUNATELY: THE APPLICATION SUBMISSION FEES/PROCESSING FEES WILL BE
OFFICIAL USE FOR PROCURING YOUR EM-POWERING DOCUMENTS.

RE-CO-OPERATION NEEDFULLY.

DR VINCENT SHERIFF
THE FOREIGN REMITTANCE DIRECTOR
AFRICAN DEVELPMENT BANK [A.D.B]
OUAGADOUGOU-BURKINA FASO
 


At this point the victim (Harish) notified the police.