I asked to ChatGPT 4o about an email received

Image created using DALL·E, an AI tool by OpenAI.

Give me an opinion about the following message:

«Greetings Mr Jesus, I have been in urgent search of someone with the last name Tapia, hence when I saw your profile on Linkedin, I decided to write you a message to see how best we can assist each other. One late Mr. Lucas Jorge Tapia, a citizen of your country who was an Engineer here in the UK, had a deposit with my bank in 2014 for 108 calendar months, valued at $9,500,000.00 USD (Nine Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars Only). The due date for this deposit was last year. I found out that Mr. Lucas Jorge Tapia was among the death victims of the March 24 COVID-19 2020 Pandemic in London. My bank management has no information about his death, I knew about this because I was able to ask a close friend of mine to investigate this. He did not mention any Next of Kin/Heir when the account was opened, and he was not married and no relative was found. Soon, my Bank Management will have a meeting for a bank verification exercise to note all huge dormant and abandoned deposit accounts. I know this will happen and that is why I have been looking for a means to handle the situation because if my Bank Directors happen to discover his death and the unavailability of a next of kin, The bank will divert the funds for our head directors and the UK government to share. I don’t want such to happen. That was why when I saw your details, I was happy. I am now seeking your cooperation to add you to his profile as his Next of Kin/ Heir to the account since you have the same last name and same nationality as him. My bank headquarters will release the account to you through my help (I am the manager of the branch where the account was opened). There is no risk involved; the transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. It is better that we claim the money than allow the Bank Directors to divert it and share it among themselves. I am not a greedy person, so I am suggesting we share the funds in a 50/50% ratio. Let me know your thoughts on this and please do treat this information confidential. I shall give you more details once I receive your urgent response. Thank You. Ms. Michelle Plunton»

And the bot answered to me the following:

This message is highly suspicious and bears all the hallmarks of a common financial scam, often referred to as a «Nigerian Prince» or «419» scam. The key indicators include:

1. Unsolicited Contact: The message comes from an unknown person who claims to have found you on LinkedIn, which is a common tactic to make the scam seem more legitimate.
2. Large Sum of Money: The mention of a substantial amount of money, $9,500,000, is intended to capture your interest and entice you into believing there’s a significant opportunity.
3. Urgency and Confidentiality: The message emphasizes urgency and requests confidentiality, which is designed to pressure you into making quick decisions without seeking advice.
4. Lack of Verifiable Details: The story about a distant relative with the same last name who conveniently left behind a large sum of money is highly improbable and lacks verifiable details. The inclusion of personal tragedy (COVID-19 death) further attempts to manipulate your emotions.
5. Proposal of Illegal Activity: The suggestion to falsely present yourself as a next of kin to claim the money is illegal and could have serious legal consequences.
6. Untraceable Communication: The sender uses vague and untraceable contact information, and the entire setup is designed to avoid leaving a traceable path.

It is advisable to ignore this message, report it to LinkedIn, and avoid any further communication with the sender.