Description
This email scam appears to be closely related to the Nigerian letter and Zimbabwe farm letter scams.
Sophos recommends recipients do not reply to the email in any way.
The text of the scam reads as follows:
This letter may come to you as a surprise due to the fact that we have not yet
met,but kindly consider the message, because, I am determined to live for
posterity.
I wish to plead with you to join me in not only serving humanity, but to also
benefit in the process. This message could be strange but reality will
definitely dawn on you, if you pay some attention to it's contents. I would'nt
have notified you but for the sake of your integrity and goodwill.Please
accept my sincere apologies. In bringing this message to you, I have to say
that I have no intentions of causing you any personal pains or discomfort.
I am Tobi Doe the elder brother to the late Liberian President Samuel Doe, who
was murdered by the then rebel leader Charles Taylor, now Liberian President.
President Samuel Doe, in his bid to fend off rebel insurgency,put in mycare,
the sum of $12,300,000(twelve million, three hundred thousand dollars) for the
purchase of arms and ammunitions, to counter rebel attacks. But unfortunately,
we could not purchase these arms before he was killed. This money is still
being kept in trunk boxes in a secret location and just the two of us knew
about it until he was killed. I could not get in touch with any arms dealer
before my brother was killed. I have since held on to these trunk boxes, which
I was able to transport out of Liberia with the aid of ECOMOG
soldiers/Diplomatic passsage under the guise conveying my personal effects
without anybody knowing.
I am presently residing in Mhlambanyatsi in Swaziland and work as a consultant
on inter-regional cooperation. I have borne the burden for too long. I do not
want to keep the funds any longer, but I can never turn it over to the brutal
and tyrannical rogue regime of Charles Taylor, is still comitting all sorts of
atrocities on the liberian people. I am not solicitng for your help to wage a
war against the regime, but to act as a foreign partner, to allow me transfer
the funds to you, and in turn donate a portion of it as humanitarian gesture to
the Liberian people by purchasing such essential needs like blankets, milk and
so on from the money after deducting your expenses and comission of 20%.Please
note that I could have approached the Red Cross Society, but I changed my mind
on that after calculating what they would deduct as comission, and also, after
rationalising the scandal that followed their mismanagement of the donations
meant for the victims of the september 11th attack on the United States.
Also note that this offer will give you a double-edged advantage :
1. as the benefactor of the Liberian people and;
2. the comission you stand to earn.
On getting a positive response from you, I will send to you the modalities for
processing the necessary documenations that will facilitate your securment of
the funds from the Security company where the funds are kept for safe keeping.
Please note that confidentiality and honesty are fundamental rules in this
transaction. Be assured that I am a reputable personality in this country and I
am mindful of the legal implications of this transaction, as I intend taking
care of all the legal documentations for a successful and hitch-free
transaction. You will be expected to take delivery of the consignment,
personally from the deposit company in Europe. With the password and
informations that I will give you, together with the Power of Attorney, you
would then proceed to the security firm, as these will facilitate your
collection of the consignment. The consignment containing the USD$12,300,000.00
will be released to you in the two large trunk boxes.
I am therefore soliciting your help to have this money collected by you and
transfered into your account,as we would give you the neccesary documentations
to facilitate your collection of the consignment personally in Europe.
***PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR CONFIDENTIALITY IN THIS TRANSACTION IS HIGHLY
REQUIRED.
Thank you very much for your time and understanding.
Yours sincerely,
Tobi Doe
A similar scam reads as follows:
Dear Sir
I am David Johnson from Liberia and one of the former personel assistant to
the Liberian President Charles Taylor.
My reasons of writing you is to solicite your partnership in receiving the
amount of SIXTY FIVE MILLION US DOLLARS [$65,000,000] in your bank account.
This funds was entrusted to me by the President Charles Taylor to purchase
arms in China to fight the rebels in Liberia but when it was cleared to me
that the rebels has captured so many city and advancing to the capital city
Monrovia then i decided to escaped my country and take refuge in South
Africa.
Now i want to invest this funds in my position for my family future as iam
no more intrest in the war and i have total control of this funds.
If you are capable of handling funds of this magnitude and ready to be an
honest partner in this venture, contact me so that i can give you details
and also set a meeting between your side and my son.
Sincerely
David Johnson