This fraud has been around for some time. Different forms of communication are used including letters, electronic mail and most recently tape recorded messages. The nature of the fraud is that the suspect is seeking help in transferring money out of their country, which requires the person being contacted to deliver United States currency for a share of the "profits". The attached message is an example of the communication used.

RE: TRANSFER OF ($ 126,000.000.00 USD)
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SIX MILLION DOLLARS

Dear sir,
In order to transfer out (USD 126 MILLION) One hundred and twenty six million United States Dollars from DEVELOPMENT BANK FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA [DBSA]. I want to ask you to quietly look for a reliable and honest person who will be capable and fit to provide either an existing bank account or to set up a new Bank a/c immediately to receive this money, even an empty a/c can also serve for this purpose.

I am Mr Dr ramseychimethe Auditor General of Development Bank For Southern Africa, during the course of our auditing I discovered a floating fund in an account opened in the bank in 1990 and since 1993 nobody has operated on this account again, after going through some old files, from the records I discovered that the owner of the account died without a [heir] hence the money is floating and if I do not remit this money out urgently it will be forfeited for nothing. The owner of this account is Mr. Allan P. Seaman, a foreigner, and an industrialist, and he died, since 1993 and no other person knows about this account or any thing concerning it, the account has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that Allan P. Seaman until his death was the manager Diamond Safari [pty]. SA.

We will start the first transfer with Twenty Six Million [$26,000.000] upon successful transaction without any disappoint from your side, we shall re-apply for the payment of the remaining rest amount to your account, I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money cannot be approved to a local person here, but can only be approved to any foreigner with valid information about Mr. Allan P. Seaman who is a foreigner too.

However, I am revealing this to you with believe in God that you will never let me down when the money enters your A/C.

Send also your private telephone and fax number including the full details of the account to be used for the deposit.

I need your full understanding and co-operation to make this work fine because the management of the Bank is ready to approve this payment to any foreigner who has correct information of this account, which I will give to you, upon your positive response. Two of us will fly to your country at least two days ahead of the money going into the account.

I will use my position and influence to obtain all legal approvals for onward transfer of this money to your account with appropriate clearance from the relevant ministries and foreign exchange departments for easy and smooth transfer of the fund into your account without question.

At the conclusion of this business, you will be given 35% of the total amount, 60% will be for me, while 5% will be for expenses both parties might have incurred during the process of transferring this money.

I am looking forward to hear from you.

Yours truly
Dr Ramseychime

Anyone contacted in this manner should report it to IU South Bend Campus Police at 520-4499.

Update

Six arrested over 'Nigerian e-mail' fraud

Six people were arrested in South Africa over the weekend on suspicion of being involved in the infamous "Nigerian" e-mail and letter fraud. Four of those detained were Nigerian, one was Cameroonian and the sixth was South African. Police in South Africa believe that the six are part of an international fraud and drug-dealing cartel, sending out thousands of e-mail and letters in an attempt to defraud. Police seized a large amount of drugs, as well as computer equipment and false identification papers. According to published reports from South Africa, officers from the UK's Scotland Yard were also involved in the operation. A Metropolitan police spokesman was unable to confirm this, however. The arrests could mark an important breakthrough in the battle against the international scam, which is thought to have defrauded hundreds of millions of dollars from victims. The fraud is also known as the "West African advanced fee fraud" or the "419 fraud"—419 being the relevant section of the Nigerian criminal code. Potential victims receive a letter—or, more recently, an e-mail—telling them that the sender is trying to move a large sum of money and offering them a substantial percentage of the cash in return for letting it be deposited into their bank account. Often the perpetrators claim that the Nigerian government is paying out this money in return for a completed contract, while other versions claim to involve insurance payouts after airplane crashes. People who express an interest are then told that they must first hand over an amount of money to cover expenses such as banking fees and administrative costs. These "advanced fees" often cost a bundle; there are cases where U.S. victims have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Nigerian government has set up a unit in London to fight the fraud, but many people are still being taken in. One problem is that many victims don't report that they have been defrauded, either through embarrassment or because they aren't sure who to contact. Roland Perry, vice chairman of the Internet Crime Forum, said last month that it isn't clear which law enforcement body people should contact with cybercrime complaints [http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2109168,00.html]. "Where do you go if you get a Nigerian e-mail?" asked Perry. "Do you report it to the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the Metropolitan Police, the Fraud Squad, the National High-Tech Crime Unit or your local police? If you take one of these e-mails to your local police, what is the chap behind the desk supposed to do with it?" The Metropolitan Police, in conjunction with the Specialist Crime Operational Command Unit, has set up a Web page containing advice [http://www.met.police.uk/fraudalert/] about the West African advanced fee fraud. Those who have fallen victim to the fraud are encouraged to contact the Specialist Crime OCU Fraud Squad by e-mail 419@spring39.demon.co.uk.