Advance Fee Frauds and Email Scams
Department of Minerals and Energy (2007)
This is one message from a collection of email scams. We aren’t the source of these messages and we don’t send them! We collect the ones we receive and document them here for the benefit of others. (How do advance fee frauds work?)
If you have been victimized by an email scam like the one shown below you may wish to contact a lawyer or postal inspector in your state or country.
from “Dept. of Minerals & Energy, Pretoria, S/Africa.”
reply-to ooo.ooo.ooo000@hotmail.com
date Aug 27, 2007 6:45 PM
subject GREETINGS
MR.FRED JAMES
DEPARTMENT OF MINERALS AND ENERGY,
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA.
Greetings,
It is my great pleasure to write you this letter on behalf of my colleagues. Your information was given to me by a member of the South African Export Promotion Council (SAEPC) who was with the Government delegation on a trip to your country for a bilateral conference talk to encourage foreign investors. I have decided to seek a confidential co-operation with you in the execution of the deal hereunder for the benefit of all parties and hope you will keep it confidential because of the nature of this business.
Within the Department of Minerals & Energy where I work as a Director of Audit and Project Implementation and with the co-operation of two other top officials, we have in our possession an overdue payment in US funds. The said funds represent certain percentage of the total contract value executed on behalf of my Department by a foreign contracting firm, which we the officials over-invoiced to the amount of US$26.500,000.00 (Twenty-Six Million Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars). Though the actual contract cost has been paid to the original contractor, leaving the excess balance unclaimed.
Details and change of beneficiary information upon application for claim to reflect payment and approvals will be secured on behalf of you/your Company. I have the authority of my partners involved to propose that should you be willing to assist us in this transaction your share as compensation will be US$6.625m (25%), while my colleagues and I receive US$17.225m (65%) and the balance of US$2.650m (10%) for taxation and miscellaneous expenses incurred.
I have reposed my confidence in you and hope that you will not disappoint us.
Thanks for your co-operation.
Regards,
MR.FRED JAMES
N.B Please email your confidential Telephone and Fax number to enable me contact you for further clarifications
