You've had them, I've had them and hopefully you delete them. I'm talking about those scamming letters from some African dictatorship country pleading for assistance to liberate Millions of dollars from the country. What do you get from it - a percentage (normally about 10%) of the funds. Sounds too good to be true ? Well it is - wake up and smell the coffee.

Strangely enough this one came in directly to an email address I had set up over on Motorheads forum to enable the people there to send me scam letters as I had none to work with...the email address was africanschemers@craigmcateer.com but still he sent it... twat.

Monday 9th June

Good day,
You may be surprise to receive this email since you do not know me.
I am the son of the late president of Democratic Republic Of Zaire,
President Mobutu Sese Seko, ( now The Republic of Congo, under the
leadership of the son of Mr. Laurent Kabila). I presume you are aware there
is a financial dispute between my family ( THEMOBUTUS ) and the present
civilian Government. This is based on what they believe as bad and corrupt
governance on my late father's part. May his soul rest in perfect peace. As
you might have heard how a lot of my father's bank account in Switzerland
and North America have been frozen. Following the above named reasons, I am
soliciting for your humble and confidential assistance to take custody of
THIRTY Million United States Dollars ( US$30,000,000.00 ), also to front for
me in the areas of business you desire profitable.
These funds have secretly been deposited into a confidential Security
Company, where it can easily be withdrawn or paid to a recommended
beneficiary. The funds will be released to you by the Security Company,
based on my recommendations, on that note, you will be presented as my
partner who will be fronting for me and my family in any subsequent
ventures. Myself and my mother have decided to give 20% to you if you are
able to help us claim this consignment. We have also decided to give you any
money spent on phone calls or traveling expenses in the course of this
transaction at the end of the transaction.
Please, I need your entire support and co-operation for the success of this
transaction, your utmost confidentiality and secrecy is highly required, due
to my family's present predicament.
I sincerely will appreciate your willingness to assist us as soon as
possible. I am presently in the refugee camp here in the Netherlands under
the united nations refugee camp in Netherlands and I can be reached on phone
number +xxxxxxxxx or E-mail me at xxxxxxxxxx@latinmail.com for
more information on how we can proceed in this transaction. Please indicate
your interest by sending your telephone and fax number or call me up at
anytime. I sincerely will appreciate your acknowledgement as soon as
possible.
Warmest regards,
Joseph Mobutu Sese-Seko.

.

Oh dear, you know the story now....at least of one thing - its increased the amount of money I've been offered

Mon 9th June

Joseph,

I was not aware of your situation and thank you for contacting me - I'm curious as to what I can do to assist you.

If you can be more specific as to what my role would be in this I'm certain I would be interested.

Regards
Steve.

Replied using Stevethompson @ nanomole email addy...

Good Day,


want to use this opportunity to thank you
very much for the response to my e-mail,well I will
also thank you for your sympathy towards the ordeal we
faced In my family, and i shall be willing to give you
details why i am soliciting your assistance. Firstly
what you must know is this ,I am currently under
political asylum here In the Netherlands and the law
here prohibits asylum seekers engaging In cash
transaction of this magnitude untill he or she has
been seen finally through the asylum process,

My mother does not want to claim this money
personally neither does she want any member of our
Family to come forward for fear of the money been
seized for this vey money is the last hope for a
better future for me and my brother,Timothy Mobutu,
I am christain and I do go to church,here in my camp
Furthermore we are not intrested in you assisting our
family to collect this money but we wants to know
before going any further with you ,the kind of
business you have in mind that we can invest our share
of the money into that can yield my family favourable
profit in a space of time.
This aspect is most important to my family for as I
earlier said this money in Holland happens to be our
last hope and as a result we want to be rest assured
that you can help us take care of the investment
before i can join you in your country and then you and
i can then go into partnership. I and my mother has
also agreed to give you 20% of the total sum (US$30
MILLION) if you agree to her both terms which is
assisting her in the collection and most importantly
helping her to invest the money.

I do not want to deal with anyone here In the
Netherlands all I need Is a foreign partner or
affiliate that can be capable enough to help me Invest
this funds In a profitable venture that will be a
source of income for me and my family In the future,
since I do not intend staying or Investing in the
Netherlands due to the above mentioned reason.
What Is required of you as I have told you in my
previous e-mail If you are willing to render
your assistance Is simply to act on my behalf as the
sole Beneficiary to this consignment(funds) with the
courier company ,but before you can do this you must
have the neccessary documentations as proof showing
you as the actual beneficiary.
As for your contact address ,three contact addresses
were given to My mother by a friend who works at the
South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry and we
happen to choose this particular one after a whole lot
of scrutiny.
If you are okay with my terms then i will appreciate
it if you can call me on my direct line which is
+ 31-xxxxxxx so that we can discuss about the
next step to take.Also i will require from you
your full name, your phone and fax numbers,We will
require all these informations to prepare the
necessary vital documents that you will need to be
able to claim the consignments, documents like the
Airwaybill, certificate of deposit,and a power of
attorny from our family lawyer that will
still give you the full backing to put claims to the
funds
I hope that the content of this mail has been
completly understood and i await to hear from you
soonset.

Best Wishes,
Joseph Mobutu.

ALways reply through this mail box please

Why is the format of his emails alway wrong.

We've heard most of this before....

Now to elude to my great business Nanomole

Friday 13th June

Joseph,

So nice to hear from you - I thought you'd ignored my email and thought it was a lost cause.

My business (I'm the Managing Director) provide unique solutions to problems that exist in everyday situations. We have a large research and development department which provide the direction in which the company goes. We've just recently started expanding from the UK market into the European market where we are seeing great success in our products usage. I believe that this would be the ideal business into which your funds could be invested - invest for the future in Nanomole (have a look at www.nanomole.co.uk )

I'm sure you've made the correct choice in selecting me and more importantly Nanomole for your future security.

My full name is Steve Thompson
My telephone number is +44 207 xxxxxx
At Nanomole we don't have fax machines - everything is electronic so email is the best form.

I take it you want my personal address.
Steve Thompson
246D
St Catherines House
London
WC2A 2EB

I generally travel quite a bit so I have voice mail which I pick up everyday but I do have almost constant access to email so pick your method of communication.

I hope this answers all your questions...
Regards
Steve

The number is real - he'll get a answering service saying I'm out of the office.

The address is also real - unfortunately for him its the old public records building in London.

Monday 16th June

Dear Thompson,

Congratulations! i am pleased to inform that my mother has decided to make you the new beficiary of the consignments.Although she has already fowarded a letter of nomination to the security firm, i would still need a fax number to fax the letter of nominee and all other documents you would need to be able to claim the consignment. Once you receive such documents ,you must contact the company immediately and introduce your self as our long time family freind and also the new beneficiary. I would have used an alternative way to send the documents but the business center here around the refugee camp does not have a scanner. My mother says she would need three things from you: 100% collaboration, honesty and utmost confidentiality in this transaction. Let me also remind you that because this consignments has been with the security firm for quite a while , there might be a minimal storage charges to be paid. Please call me at your earlieat convinience.
Your brother and partner,

Joseph Mobutu

Not exactly quick is our Joseph for responses - just under a week.

Have I won the lottery - have I won a new car - no I've been selected to take part in a scam which at an initial guess is bound to cost me about £16,000 if they're greedy and I build up the success that Nanomole is.

He even called me with the good news - on Saturday at 18:06

Transcript "Hello Thompson, this is Joseph Mobuto calling from Amsterdam when you get the chance please call me back on 31 3xxxxxxx"

Monday 16th June

Joseph,

I was so sorry to have missed your call. I will try and call you tommorow, as I'm in a serious of management meetings I don't know when I'll get the opportunity.

As I mentioned previously we a Nanomole are a high tech organisation and have progressed passed the fax machine stage - is it possible you could scan and email the documents you need to send me. Failing that I may borrow one of my friends fax machines (a personal unit) but I don't know the telephone number. Are the documents that you will be sending him of a confidential nature or would it be best if I was standing beside the machine when the documents are sent to me ? When ever I get the documents I will contact the companies listed.

I can offer your mother all three of her requirements..
collaboration - this is how the success of my company has been achieved.
honesty - is a virtue that is key to Nanomoles mission statement.
confidentiality - guaranteed.

The pleasure is mine.

Regards
Steve

I will probably call him tommorow...

Lets see if he can scan it - if not I'll get a dodgy fax machine setup somewhere...

collaboration is essential or the transaction will fail.

honesty - yes I'm your man.

confidentiality - between you, me and the 30,000 other visitors... :)

Wed 18th June

Well I called him today on his number and introduced myself. He's very polite even too polished an English accent but I digress.. Joseph would like to pass on that his mother thought that Nanomole would be the ideal place to put their money for a high yeild investment. This was after checking out the website.

I spun him some story about being in and out of meetings given that I'm the director of Nanomole and I'm going be in and out over the next couple of days. We got onto the discussion of the documents and could he scan them. Joseph advises that he tried to scan them at the business centre in the refugee camp (lets get this right - they've got a business centre in the refugee camp - yeh right !!) after scanning they took ages to load. I then explained that we had that same problem initially in Nanomole where people were scanning documents in BMP format which made the files huge, if he scanned them as a JPG file it would be much smaller. Joseph kindly thanked me and said he would try it this evening if he could. (What the hell am I doing - A computer helpdesk to African Scammers !!) Failing that I will have to wait till my friend comes back as he's on holiday at the moment and then get use of his fax machine. Waiting till Friday seemed to alert him that it was another delay. So he's going to try his best to get the documents to me.

Thurs 20th June

Joseph,

A pleasure talking to you the other day. I do hope things go well for you.

Did you manage to scan the documents using JPG format ? I've found out my neighbour is not returning till sometime on Saturday so I'll have to contact him then and then call you with the telephone number if he's going to be in on Saturday evening.

best regards
Steve

Saturday 22nd June

Dear Steve,

Good day to you. I was finally able to scan the documents . the agreement you should read carefully, make any adjusments if necessary and sign your portion the return to me. The other documents are for you to keep to present to the security firm when asked. The name of the security firm is MAXTRUST CONTINENTAL. e-mail: maxtrust@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.com and their phone number is +31 61xxxxxxxxx contact person is Mr. Lex Deboar
You are to call and formally introduce your self as our long time family freind and also the new beneficiary of the diplomatic consignments from congo.Please be sure to update promptly on progress of the transaction.
May God bless you and your family,

sincere regards,
Joseph Mobutu

Please find attached documents for you to keep

I got two emails today...

Ooooooooooo we've got quality documents, all scanned in the business centre of the refugee camp...Yeh right.

You can click on them and see the larger image...

The airbill is rather fuzzy, I might get him to rescan it. Even on the original which was 400Kb its fuzzy...

The kwality of the Maxtrust Continental one is excellent - I love the border, Not. Someone has spend a lot of time on the Maxtrust document, its even got fake watermarks running through behind the main text.

Sun 22nd June

Joseph,

Excellent news about the documents. All received loud and clear. The only one that is rather fuzzy is the airwaybill - could you rescan and send as the text is hard to read due to its lack of sharpness. I've tried blowing the image up to see if that made any difference but it just made it worse.

With regard to the contract...

Article 1 is in direct contractidiction with Article 4 section 2.

Article 4.3 is incorrect. I can offer advice on where to invest the money, however the decision to invest is yours. This of course leads to confusion over Article 4.4

If you can correct these contractual errors and resend it would be appreciated.

I will call Lex on Monday morning..

Hope you're having a lovely weekend.

best regards
Steve

Mon 23rd June

Goodmorning steve,

How was your weekend? Mine was just another weekend here at the reugee camp. But i got some good news last week. I was told they should be granting me my asylum papers sometime in August. That would be a great acheivement for me and my family. As for the agreement, My mother had earlier said for you to make any necessary adjustments but append your signature on where such adjustments where made and once it send back to me , i will in turn send it back to her, for approval by appending her signatures on those areas as well. you would save me a lot of trouble by doing that. My mother sends her regards. She would be more than happy to have this transaction completed in no time so her self and my brothers can join you in your country. Morcco where she is currently residing with my other brothers is getting extremely difficult because of this latest terrosits acts. Have a nice day Steve.
sincere regards

Joseph

Oh dear, just another weekend here at the refugee camp. Well what a shame - what would he like...a nice weekend in Congo...

Why does he want me to sign the documents...perhaps he's only got one printed copy with my name ? Strange way of working..

I'm sure she'd be more than happy to have this concluded....

Mon 23rd June

Joseph,

I had a busy weekend, we're looking at buying out a small technology company who operate in a field that we're interested in venturing into. This weekend was taken up with discussions with their management team who seem to keen for the takeover to go ahead. Of course the meetings run on for longer than expected and as a result I've not had the opportunity to contact Lex today. He is on my agenda to call mid morning tommorow.

I've resigned and scanned the relevant page of the agreement with my suggested changes - This removes any confusion over who's responsible for the decision for investment. I've suggested changing the country to UK as it makes the contract clearer.

On an aside - are you looking for asylum to remain in the Netherlands ?

Regards
Steve

I wonder if this will up the amount of charges that are applicable on the transaction for security clearance ?

Does he want to come here to the UK and join the others who come in both legally and illegally. ?

Wed 25th June

So I called Mr Lex Deboar this morning...and had a brief conversation. He answered the phone with MAXTRUST CONTINENTAL (obviously a professional outfit then). I explained who I was and what I wanted.. He then asked me for a reference number (which I didn't have ?) but all of a sudden he remembered who I was and said all I had to do was to send him the relevant documents showing that I had a right to claim the goods from the Congo.

Now doesn't it seem strange to you that he know

A. that the goods are from the Congo and

B. that I've got to show that I have a right to claim them. ?

It does to me... anyway I promise to send him the documents and he'll give me a call back.

Wed 25th June

Lex,

Further to my telephone conversation this morning. Please find attached the relevant documents relating the consignment frrom Congo.

Can you advise what the next steps are in this process with regards to clearance of the goods.

Regards
Steve

(The same documents from above.)

Thank you for emailing us. Your contact is very important
to us, and we will respond to you shortly.

MANAGEMENT.

Thur 26th June

Dear Sir,

Please find attched, your correspondence.

Best regards,
Marisa Goodman.
For: Management.

This email is strictly for the attention of the addressee named above as it contains confidential information. If you have
received by error, ignore, and kindly notify us.

MANAGEMENT.
Get your Free E-mail at http://maxtrustcontinental.zzn.com

Then this arrives..with two attachments..mm

Note the bit at the bottom that says get your free email at Maxtrustcontinental..... not very professional is it ?

As I'm filling in the form Joseph calls my telephone number and leaves a message asking what going on as he hasn't heard from me for a couple of days...

Fri 27th June

Marissa,

I've attached my signed copy of consignment for your perusal.

Not knowing how long the process normally takes I've suggested the 11th July for completion of transaction. This will give me sufficient time to collect the required funds. On the payment can this be provided under a Euro cheque or can I pay for it on my American Express card which would save me transporting large amounts of cash on the plane with me ?

I've left a couple of the fields empty as I have no idea which ones they relate to - (certificate # and cargo tag etc..)

If you need any more information please let me know.

Can you arrange to send directions to your offices so my secretary can begin planning my travel arrangements / car hire etc..

For your information - I have already provided to Lex the certificate of deposit that you're asking for in the covering letter.

Thanks in advance..

Steve

What do you think...its going to be cash or nothing !!

I think they'll plan on meeting me at the airport or at a hotel once I check in. I'll have to say I'm arriving first thing and will go straight to their offices.

I've just got the same automated response from their email server...very efficient.

Fri 27th June

Joseph,

Apologies for lack of response - I've been tied up in negoiations with the company buy-out that I mentioned previously.

I made contact with Maxtrust and they have forwarded documents for completion and processing. I've only just completed them and sent them back and I've put a date of the 11th July to complete this transaction as I've no idea how long the whole process takes.

They are looking for the sum of € 13,760 in cash to pay the customs charges. I've asked them If I can pay this on credit card or give them a Euro cheque as I'm none too happy carrying that sort of money in cash with me.

I'll let you know as soon as I get a response.

Regards
Steve

Fri 27th June

Good evening,

I am the personal assistant to Mr Thompson and coordinate all travel arrangements for him.

Mr Thompson has asked me to liaise with you to arrange an itenary for his forthcoming trip to Amsterdam. As I don't know the nature of his business during this trip I would appreciate it if you could provide the following details to enable me to arrange suitable travel and accommodation plans.

1. Full address of your offices (a map would be ideal)
2. A nearby 5 star hotel and their contact telephone number.

Do you think Mr Thompson will require the services of a chaffeur car during his visit or is this something you can arrange from the airport ?

Best Regards
B. Milne
PA to Mr Thompson
Nanomole Technology.

This note comes from Brooke Milne my Personal assistant as I've decided that Steve should have one.

This is Brooke (yes another Guide Dog to be)

Thought this might help speed things up a bit from their point of view. What I would like them to do is pick "me" up from the airport. As its an open place and I'm sure I can find someone whose in Amsterdam willing to get some photos of them at the airport holding either a Nanomole sign or Steve Thompson.

Does this sound likes its going to far...

Sunday 29th June

Our ref: MTC/02-J/1065/NL
Your ref: MTC/02-AF/9120

ATTN: Steve Thompsom

Dear Thompson,

We acknowledge the receipt of your email dated Fri, 27 Jun 2003 and a partially completed Appraisal Form 1A. The blank columns will be completed with appropriate information.

An appointment has now been fixed for you on the 11th of July 2003.
Your appointment will be at our administrative office with our Director. As no time has been scheduled by him at the moment, you will have to notify us of your location in Amsterdam in order for a Protocol officer to come and drive you down to the office for your appointment time to be fixed.

I have presented the issue of your request to make payment with a Euro Cheque or AMEX card with our Director, and unfortunately, this is not feasible, as payment for the clearance process from our vaults which is in consonance with the Customs for Category "A" consignments has to made in cash to different departments of the Customs to expedite the release process.

As requested information of will be provided to your Secretary.

Best regards,
Marisa Goodman. For: Management.

So - they work on Sundays do they ???? Yeh right !

Oh - so I've got to let them know where I am. The usual trick is I say I'm in a hotel, they say they'll call me back on the local Amsterdam number to check if I'm actually there. If I don't have a local number it means I'm not in Amsterdam and its not worth them coming to pick me up.

Sunday 29th June

ATTN: Brooke Milne.

Dear Milne,

Re: STEVE THOMPSON’S TRAVEL ITENERARY.

We acknowledge the receipt of your email regarding Mr. Thompson’s travel itinerary to our Office in Amsterdam.

Click on the following link to find an online map of Amsterdam; http://www.hot-maps.de/europe/netherlands/amsterdam/homeen.html Our administrative office is located in V. Diemenstr. (Van dtstraat)
24, 1051 CH.

You may also find Hotel information for reservations on this link to make a selection;
http://www.amsterdam-hotels-guide.com/Amsterdam-hotel-5.htm

All Hotels is the Central are a few minutes drive from our office. We have offered transportation for Mr. Thompson to our office. If you provide us with flight details, we will have our Protocol officer meet him at the Airport and drive him down to our office and Hotel.

Best regards,
Marisa Goodman.

This email is strictly for the attention of the addressee named above as it contains confidential information. If you have
received by error, ignore, and kindly notify us.

MANAGEMENT.

And one for my Personal Assistant Brooke

Well the map certainly shows downtown Amsterdam but doesn't exactly show where their "office" is.

Oooo an offer of a lift from the Airport...sounds tempting.... Anyone in Amsterdam fancy going along to get some photos of the scammers ala Solomon ?

FYI - Marisa and Lex seem to share the same email address - for those that are interested - this is the header

Received: from smtp-in3.blueyonder.co.uk ([172.23.146.14]) by cluster5 with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.0.2195.5329);
Sat, 28 Jun 2003 10:27:14 +0100
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Received: from [62.115.254.7] (helo=mail.lcn.biz)
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for brookemilne@nanomole.co.uk; Sat, 28 Jun 2003 10:27:13 +0100
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X-Version: Mailcentro 1.0
X-SenderIP: 62.194.11.42
X-SenderID: 7434010
From: "Maxtrust Continental" <maxtrust@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Message-Id: <65BF4B17568E726489276BC3A82CD183@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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Mon 30th June

Marisa,

Many thanks for the information -

I can't find where Van Diemenstr is on the map, not that its important at the moment.

The hotel link is excellent, I will make our normal reservation at the Amstel Intercontinental once travel plans have been put in place.

Once I've confirmed with Mr Thompson his travel schedule I'll advise you and if you can arrange pickup from the airport with your protocol officer that would be excellent.

Have a great day.

Brooke,

Best Regards
B. Milne
PA to Mr Thompson
Nanomole Technology.

From my PA to them.

Tues 1st July

ATTN: Brooke Milne.

Dear Milne,

Re: STEVE THOMPSON’S TRAVEL ITENERARY.

We acknowledge the receipt of your email. To locate our office, type in V. Diemenstr. on the the locator column on the top left corner of the page.

We look forward to receiving the required informtion once arrangements have been concluded from your side.

Best regards,
Marisa Goodman.

Anyone in Amsterdam care to visit this place and take a photo of where they think their offices are ?

Thur 3rd July

Marissa,

Thanks for the information. Apologies for not responding sooner. We had yesterday off as celebration that Nanomole have been in business for 10 years and seem to be going from strength to strength.

I'll drop you an email once flight details have been confirmed to enable you to arrange collection of Mr Thompson at the airport.

Mr Thompson is currently away from the office on a personal matter and is hopefully returning tommorow so I'll keep you advised.

Regards

Brooke

Best Regards
B. Milne
PA to Mr Thompson
Nanomole Technology

I'm currently planning on having "Steve" delay his journey due to a close family death. We're going to see how long we can spin this along.. Many many thanks to Ard for the holiday dates in the Netherlands and idea of delaying them whilst we work on an idea....

It involves a friend of a friend of a friend and the media in the Netherlands.....we'll see..

Fri 4th July

I get a phone call from Joseph asking me to call him as he's sent a couple of messages and not had a reply.

I think I'll let him stew until tommorow morning when I call him...

Sun 6th July

Joseph,

Apologies for not responding sooner - I've been away from work for a couple of days due to personal circumstances. I hope to get back in the office next week if possible depending upon how things turn out.

I think I told you I'd been in touch with Maxtrust and had arranged a meeting for Friday 11th July. Depending upon how things progress here I may have to delay it but I'll keep you advised.

Could you send me your telephone number again as it's currently on my PC in work and I'm currently away from home at the moment and will not be in work.

Have a good weekend.

Steve

Lets let him stew for a while... I think someone in my close family is undergoing surgery and I've got to be by their bedside...or something similar.

Sun 6th July

Hi,

I was a little worried about you. But i am so releived knowing that your are well and okay.
I hope that we are able to meet and conclude this transaction next week as earlier arranged.
My phone number is +31 6xxxxxxxxxx
I pray that everthing goes smoothly with you by God's grace.

God bless you

Sincere regards,

Joseph Mobutu

Tues 8th July

Well I gave Lex a call to explain my lack of confirmation of our meeting. He answered the phone as usual with "Maxtrust Continental" - very professional.. I explained that I've got a personal family matter that needed attention which is why I've never been in the office and I'll also have to call off our meeting on Friday. "No problem Mr Thompson, but we do need 48 hours notification of meeting". "No problem " I say, knowing full well that its going to be a while before our meeting. I promise to keep in touch and give him his promised 48hour notification.

I then call Joseph in the so called "refugee camp", funnily enough the camp must be five star as he answers the phone within about 2 rings. Direct lines to asylum seekers. Well thats where my bloody money is going !!! I digress.... I explain the same situation....family problems blah blah blah....Joseph then explains his mother was concerned because they had not heard from me. He too seems pacified that I've got a personal matter to address and didn't seem to bothered about the delay. He did ask to be given at least a days notification when I was coming to enable him to approach his supervisor and request time out of the camp to meet me. Yeh right !!

Still not heard anything from the friend of a friend but no worries..

Mon 14th July

Hi Steve,

Please inform me of your arrival date as soon as possible to be able to get permission to leave the camp.
Thank you
Joe

Mon 14th July

Joseph,
So nice to hear from you. My personal problem is coming to a head at the moment and should be sorted out in the next few days.

I realise you've been kept in the dark a little bit - but it has been for good reason. Just as a bit of background information, I've got a close relative who's well known in celebraty circles who has returned to drinking heavily against the advise of his doctor. The media have picked up on the story (as they have done in the past) so we're busy trying to calm things down in so he can concentrate on his life again after a recent transplant.

Today was probably the worst day so far - it seems all the newspapers in the UK have picked up on his drinking and have printed stories.
Some examples are here - http://www.express.co.uk/story.html?story=9&r=105819935333626797 and http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2003320965,00.html

I'll keep you advised on my travel plans once my family crisis is over.

regards
Steve

I decided to use something that's currently in the UK press as a delaying tactic for them. What better than the 70's footballing hero and full time drunkard George Best being back on the bottle after a liver transplant operation last year.

BTW - I do hope that George gets off the bottle shortly

Fri 18th July

Joseph,

Apologies for not being in touch until now - it's been hectic with media interest in our family friend. Thankfully it does seem to be dying down now. The articles are no longer on the front page and it seems that the media beast is finally finished with treating our friend like baby wolf meat. The articles have moved inside the newspaper and it seems George is slowly on the road to recovery.

This weekend we're all spending some time away with the family at a hotel so I will be unable to be reached, we return on Sunday evening and I hope to be in the office on Monday depending upon how it goes this weekend.

I'm aware of your urgent nature in this matter and still wish to prove to you that I am committed to assisting you. If I was able to ensure the services of a trusted friend to assist me in your plight would this help speed things along. I've got a very good friend who is trustworthy and I would trust him with everything. He's the local Police Chief Inspector so his credentials are impeccable. What do you think ?

Give my regards to your mother.

On an aside - I advised Maxtrust of my circumstances and advised them I would be in touch prior to their 48 hours criteria.

best regards and have a great weekend.

Steve

Just to re-inforce the delaying tactic.

Baby wolf meat came about from a suggestion of Kathleen Kurlander as a good phrase to use in an email.

On an aside I'm away for a wedding this weekend so he will get no updates, as will this website.

Do you think his answer will be no... ?

Fri 18th July

Steve,

thank you for your recent mail.
I would rather take your idea of your police inspector friend;s assistance as a joke,
Knowing fully well the confidentilaity behind this agreement, how do you think my mother would respond when i tell him you are trying to introduce a third party?
I would not take this a s lack of interest untill you say otherwise.
It's imperative we get on with this transaction in a timely manner.
I do not know about your time estimation for this. But i dont think this would take over a couple of hours to complete.
Please let me know of exact date you will be in amsterdam next week because time is running out .
I thank you for your kind assistance s far.
God bless you
Joseph MObutu

I'll take that as a no to using the police Inspector :) :)

yeh, yeh , yeh rush rush rush, is there no peace in this world..

Fri 19th July

Joseph,

I understand the confidentiality reasons behind this transaction and given my current personal circumstances I thought that using a trusted member of the community would have helped to move this transaction along. If you're more than happy to work with me on this, that's fine.
It may only take a couple of hours to complete but trying to organise it into my very busy schedule is problematic.

I should have an idea early next week (all being well this weekend).

Have a great weekend.

Steve

Mon 21st July

I get a phone message from Joseph - aren't these asylum camps great - unlimited access to international dialling lines which you and I are paying for.

Joseph reminds me that picking my friend (the Police Inspector) would break our confidentiallity and he would like this transaction to be completed next week regardless of my personal circumstances. Well he's getting pushy isn't he.

Wed 23rd July

Joseph,

Its the first day back in the office this week after our weekend away to resolve issues with my friend. The weekend was very successful we feel and we're hoping to build upon it.

Returning the matter in hand. I should be in a position by mid next week to travel to Amsterdam and complete this transaction. Once again I apologise for the delays.

In planning for our meeting, which will probably be Tuesday / Wednesday could you send me a photograph of yourself so I know how to recognise you.

Once I know the specific date of travel I'll let both you and MaxTrust know. I'll drop MaxTrust a note to keep them advised

Best regards

Steve

Chances of getting a photograph of him ? Fairly slim I would think...

Fri 25th July

Hi steve,

thank you for your recent mail.
I was glad to learn that we would finally conclude this much awaited transaction next week.
You said i should send you a picture.
Well, i do not have a photograph at the moment. I will try to take one and scan to you. But remember it was very difficult for me to have those documents scanned the last time.
I will do my best.
Things are much easier for you outside in the free world, so if you may, you could send me your picture as well.
But i dont see a problem for us to recognise each other if you give me your full arrival schedule or hotel informations.
Meanwhile, do contact max trust about your appointment immediately to be sure they can accomodate you on that day to avoid any delays since you have such a busy schedule.
My mother send her regards,
God bless you
Joseph Mobutu

The free world ? Does he bloody know how much taxes I have to pay in this country ?

My mother sends him her regards too - Isn't that sweet.

Mon 28th July

Joseph,
So nice to hear from you, apologies again for not replying sooner we've been away for our last weekend with our family friend. Things seem to have be quieting down on the media side - the lastest story is about his love life rather than his drinking habit which is good news. Latest News on George

I've attached a recent photograph I had done for my passport in one of those photo booths, I hope this will suffice. If you can by return send your photograph by return it would be appreciated as I prefer to see who I'm dealing with rather than just the occasional telephone call and voice mail. I'm a believer in reading people by their eyes so it would be of great help.

I'll hopefully give Maxtrust a call tommorow or Wednesday at the latest to arrange our meet.

Give my regards to your mother.

Regards
Steve

Mon 28th July

Our ref: MTC/02-J/1065/NL
Your ref: MTC/02-AF/9120

Attn: Steve Thompson.

Dear Thompson,

We refer to the above subject matter. As per your previous email, kindly advise us on time frame and possibly a date in order for necessary arangements to made for an appointment date for release of your consignment.

Your prompt response will be highly appreciated.

Best regards,
Marisa Goodman.
For: Lex DeBoer.

Thurs 31st July

Joseph,

Alls well with the family now so I can make my travel plans. I'll call Max Trust tommorow and let them know I'll be there early next week (allowing for their 48 Hours) It will probably be Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll get my admin assistant to book the flights.

I thought by now I would have received a photograph of you so I can read your eyes prior to our meeting. I'm really looking forward to meeting you.

Keep the faith
Regards
Steve

I think we've delayed this one long enough and it would be nice to have some media interest but I think I'll schedule to meet with them at Schipol airport and get a lift to Maxtrust office.

However, one of the other scams on the go at the moment (Global Lotto) is also based in Amsterdam and I'm wondering if we can get both of them to the airport to meet me.

Anyone live in Amsterdam (or near by) and fancy a trip to Schipol on Thursday evening with a digital camera ?

I can arrange the time to suit. If so please email be on the addy at the top. Thanks

Sat 2nd Aug

Lex,

I've finally cleared up my family matter and am in a position to move this transaction forward. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

I'm looking to travel to Amsterdam sometime mid next week if this is suitable for you, if it is I'll get my PA to start booking flights.

Regards
Steve

Mon 4th Aug

Our ref: MTC/02-J/1065/NL
Your ref: MTC/02-AF/9120

Attn: Steve Thompson.

Dear Thompson,

We acknowledge the receipt of your request for an appointment.

You may proceed to inform us on a date in order for an appointment
to be fixed for you.

Best regards,
Marisa Goodman.
For: Lex DeBoer.

Mon 4th Aug

Lex,

Please see booking below of my flight time and arrival in Amsterdam. This is the earliest I can travel to Amsterdam.

Can you arrange for your protocol officer to me at the airport. Probably best if they have a sign with my name on it and I'll look for them. If possible can you provide a mobile number for them just in case we miss each other.

Is it possible to begin the proceedings in the evening ? Also can you arrange a hotel nearby for me. As I'm trying to keep the information that others know about this trip to a minimum.

Looking forward to meeting you on Thursday

Regards
Steve

----- Original Message -----
From: Brooke Milne
To: Steve Thompson
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2003 6:34 PM
Subject: Confirmation of flight bookings.

Steve,

I've booked your flight to Amsterdam. Your ticket will arrive at the office on Wednesday.

Heathrow (London), United Kingdom to Amsterdam, Netherlands BA0442 Economy (Traveller) Thu 7 August 2003, 17:50 Thu 7 August 2003, 20:00

Once you know your return date, just give me a call and I'll book it for you.

I believe you're also handling the hotel accommodation yourself.

Regards
Brooke

Righto - time to begin wrapping this one up.

Time to advise Maxtrust that I'm coming to town.

I've sent a dummy message from Brooke to Steve to confirm that some flights, I've then forwarded that so it looks like an internal email. Thursday night seems like a good time.

Mon 4th Aug

Joeseph,

I've made my travel plans and plan on coming to Amsterdam early on Thursday evening. I've written to Maxtrust advising them of my schedule and will meet with their protocol officer at the airport. I've asked if we can begin proceedings on Thursday evening since I arrive relatively early.

When will you get out of the camp to meet me ? Thursday night or Friday morning ?

I'm still waiting a photograph of you - I provided one to you and would appreciate it if you could return the favour - Especially prior to our meeting just to give a feel good factor.

I have the funds (€ 13,760) for the clearance in my possession.

Looking forward to our meeting.

Regards
Steve

And confirmation to Joseph that I'm also coming to town with the money.

Tuesday 5th August

Our ref: MTC/02-J/1065/NL
Your ref: MTC/02-AF/9120

Attn: Steve Thompson.

Dear Thompson,

Following our mail of earlier today, a hotel reservation has been made for you. For Thursday, 7th August 2003. A protocol officer will be meeting you at the airport. A placard with will be held with your name on arrival.

If need be, do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,
Marisa Goodman.
For: Lex DeBoer.

I may have to delay this meeting till about the 11th as I'm trying to get this one, the Lotto one and another scammers meeting all in the same place in Amsterdam on the 11th. We'll see.

Tues 5th August

Marisa,

Apologies for futher inconvience - is it possible I can delay my visit till Monday 11th. Our company has just been award an important Ministry of Defence order but to comply with their criteria all staff have to undergo a security check which involved the Director of the company (me) being present at the findings. The checks are taking place til Friday with the results and findings being advised on Saturday. Since you're obviously not open on Sundays I propose that we reschedule till Monday 11th if this is convenient ?

Please advise if this causes a problem. I'll get my PA to reschedule flights and advise.

Regards
Steve

Reply to Marisa who's now in on the act sending Lex's notes.

I also give Lex a call to let him know my plans verbally and he seems he's okay with them which is fine.

Wed 6th August

Our ref: MTC/02-J/1065/NL
Your ref: MTC/02-AF/9120

Attn: Steve Thompson.

Dear Thompson,

We acknowledge the receipt of your travel itinerary. Your arrival is almost at closing hours, hence in case there is no flight delay, your appointment maybe possible for Thursday, &th August 2003. If otherwise, your appointment will be for the next morning.

As per hotel reservation, we will have this arranged, and will forward details to you.

Best regards,
Marisa Goodman.
For: Lex DeBoer.

I also gave Joseph a call on Wednesday to explain the circumstances about the delays.

When I tried in the morning three times I was cut off before even speaking- not very good.

I called back later in the afternoon and he answered and finally spoke, I explained my calls earlier and the cutoffs - Joseph explained that he was in the shower. What a shame..

He explained that he was concerned at the constant changes to my plans and that his mother was also getting concerned. He was in double minds (two minds) about dealing with me. I build his confidence again and then explain my plans for Monday night which seems to pacify him.

He won't send any pictures since it causes problems to get them scanned.

So its all set for Monday night which is just as well as on Monday night I'm off out of the country myself this time to Angola on business so it's a good job I'm wrapping these up on Monday. No doubt I'll have some concerned emails on Tuesday morning (which I won't collect till I'm back on Saturday / Sunday) but thats the way it goes.

As it stands, I've had to travel away for a week on business so this has screwed up my plans to follow this one through.

It's all gone high and dry which means only one thing...

Joseph Muboto can be reached on + 31-645-238-205 (its a mobile and he'll always answer)

Lex De boar - (office phone and where there are others in the background) +31 612 722 073

His personal Mobile is however +31 625 377 261

Their email address is maxtrust@maxtrustcontinental.zzn.com

I wouldn't want to suggest that you give these people a quick call and tell him what you think or suggest they do with their scams. Oh no... Enjoy. :)