Faxed: Please pose as next of kin

[webhick]

This came through on our business fax today. These scammers are stoopeed. This one confused the town I'm in with one in the UK (and not even the same town, but a similarly spelled one). I've redacted it for privacy reasons.

Frank Dom
[redacted]-UK
Tel: 011 44 786 811 5984
Fax: 011 44 207 657 3393
Email: frankdom2008@yahoo.com

November 21, 2008

Dear friend,

I am Frank Dom, Corporate Finance Manager in my local branch of Standard Bank of South Africa. I am currently on an official assignment here in [redacted]. I am contacting you concerning a deceased customer and an investment he placed under our bank's management seven years ago. I would respectfully request that you keep the contents of this mail confidential and respect the integrity of the information you come by as a result of this letter.

On the 14th of December, 2001 a client of ours, an American National, and a consultant with a leading conglomerate, made a Deposit valued at 9.4 million dollars for twelve calendar months in my Bank's 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 that our client died from an automobile accident. On further investigation, it was discovered that he died without making a Will and all attempts to trace his next of kin was fruitless.

More investigations revealed that our late client did not declare any next of kin or relations in all his official documents, including his Bank Deposit paper work at the Bank. His total sum 9.4 million dollars is still with my bank. My bank has spent great amounts of resources trying to track this man's family; we have investigated for several years and have found no family. All this while I was the Head of the Investigating Team. Now, the investigation has come to an end. No one will ever come forward to claim the funds. In accordance with the South African banking Laws at the expiration of 7 (Seven) years, the money will revert to the ownership of the Government if nobody applies as the next of Kin to claim the funds.

My proposal; you share the same LASTNAME with our late client; I am prepared to place you in a position to have the deposit released to you as the closest surviving relation.

Consequently, I shall present you as a foreign partner to stand in as the next of kin to our late client so that you and I can benefit from it. Upon acceptance of this proposal, I shall send to you a copy of the Next of Kin Payment Application Form as well as detailed information on how this deal would be transacted.

We shall employ the services of solicitor to obtain all relevant papers in your name for the necessary documentation for payment approval in my bank headquarters in your favour. The money will be shared in the ratio of sixty percent for me, thirty five percent for you and five percent for any arising contingencies during the course of this business.

Since you share the same very last name as the original depositor, you would easily pass as the beneficiary with right to claim. I assure you that I could have the deposit released to you within a few days. After I hear from you I will simply inform the bank of the final closing of the file relating to the deceased.

I guarantee that this will be executed under legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law as I will use my position in the Bank to secure approvals and guarantee the successful execution of this transaction. It will take between 7-10 working days to conclude this business.

Please be informed that your utmost confidentiality is required. You may respond through the above stated telephone and fax numbers or email. When replying by fax, please include your private phone number for voice contact and fax number so I can provide you with more details and relevant documents that will help you understand the transaction.

An early response will be appreciated.

Thanks.

Yours faithfully,
[signature]
Frank Dom]

I suppose the 5% held aside for contingencies will be used to hire the hitman to get rid of me.

[Mr. Mephistopheles]

I suppose the 5% held aside for contingencies will be used to hire the hitman to get rid of me.

Easy solution: take the intern that acknowledged the existence of the underground tramway between Bohemian Grove and Area 51, morph it into a likeness of you and let the intern take "the hit". It's either that or Soylent Green for the intern...

[fortinbras]

The phone number is evidently in the UK but not attached to any listed business.

The Standard Bank of South Africa is reachable at:
http://www.standardbank.co.za/SBIC/Fron ... _0,00.html

I'm sure they'd love to hear that someone is telling people that at least one of their dept managers is crooked.

I doubt this scheme would involve a hitman for the simple reason that you will never see a dime - not even in your own, previously plump, bank account. If that happens, of course, I am sure that the law enforcement agencies involved would love to hear you explain how you failed at pulling off a multi-million dollar swindle.

You can always find free cheese in a mousetrap.

[fortinbras]

I've just gotten one:

Mr.Richard H. Wang.
Manager,HSBC Allocation Department
Axminster Branch,United Kingdom.
Email:rwang555@gmail.com

Attention:Beneficiary,

I feel quite safe dealing with you in this business proposition having gone through your remarkable profile on the internet. Though, this medium (Internet) has been greatly abused, I choose to reach you through it because it still remains the fastest, surest and most secured medium of communication.However,this Correspondence is unofficial and private, and it should be treated as such. Before I introduce myself, I wish to inform you that this letter is not a hoax or Scam mail and I urge you to treat it with the seriousness it deserves. I also guarantee you that this deal is hitch free from all what you may think of. I am Mr.Richard H. Wang, manager Allocation Department(HSBC PLC UK)Axminster Branch. My office monitors and controls the affairs of all banks and financial institutions in United Kingdom concerned with foreign claim payments. I am the final signatory to any transfer or remittance of huge funds moving within banks both on the local and international levels in line with foreign claim settlement.

I have before me list of funds, which could not be transferred to some nominated accounts as these accounts have been identified either as ghost accounts, unclaimed deposits and over-invoiced sum etc. Your Name was among the people expecting the funds to be transferred into their account, on this note; I wish to have a deal with you as regards to your unpaid funds and I have your file before me and hope your data's are correct and un-tampered unless you reconfirm it not correct and As it is my duty to recommend the transfer of these surplus funds to the British Government Treasury and Reserve Accounts as unclaimed deposits, I have the opportunity to write you based on the instructions received two days ago from the Foreign Debts Reconciliation Dept to submit the List of payment reports/expenditures and audited reports of
revenues.

Among several others, I have decided to present you as the NEXT OF KIN/WILL BENEFICIARY to an overdue inheritance sum of £7.5M only belonging to our Late client Mrs. Sigrid Fassnacht of Cologne, Germany.Following my idea that we can have a Deal/agreement and I am going to do this legally with your name as the bonafide beneficiary of the amount in question by employing the service of a uk accredited attorney, who will handle all the legal documentations and lay claims through his legal authority on your behalf. Listen 45% of this money will be for you,in respect to the provision of a foreign account,10% will be set aside for expenses incurred during the business and 45% would be for me ashave planned to come to your Country as soon as the Transfer is completed.

My Conditions:

1) The sum of £7.5M only will be transfer into your account after the processing of all relevant legal documents with your name as the bonafide beneficiary,the transfer will be made by telegraphic Transfer(T/T),conformable in 5-7 working days.

2)This deal must be kept secret forever, and all correspondence will be strictly by email / telephone, for security purposes.

3)There should be no third parties as most problem associated with your fund release are caused by your agents or representative. If you AGREE with my conditions, i will advise you on what to do immediately and the transfer will commence without delay as I will proceed to fix your name on the Payment schedule instantly to meet the 5-7 working days mandate.

I hope you don't reject this offer and have your funds transferred.

Waiting for your reply soon.

Yours Faithfully,
Mr.Richard H. Wang

Apparently the true source was Zaire (I assume that's what ZA means at the end of an email address). I think you'd expect better typing style (spacing, for a start) and grammar from a genuine British bank manager. I'm glad he's impressed with my "remarkable profile on the internet" -- because no such thing has been posted.

The business about "pretend to be the next of kin" is a cute gimmick. Victims of this scam would be reluctant to go to the authorities with the story about how they were scammed while trying to scam someone else. You can always find free cheese in a mousetrap.