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.

This one sent by Andy Hemper from Fulham Farmers (check it out!!)

19th April

Subject: urgent/confidential

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

Dear Sir,

I am MR.MILKY GUEI, the son of late GENERAL ROBERT GUEI Ex-Military Head of State of Ivory Coast, who was murdered along with the interior minister on the 19th of September 2002.
.
I contacted you because of my need to deal with persons whom my family and I have had no previous personal
relationships. Since the murder of my father, I have been subjected to all sorts of harassments and intimidation with lots of negative reports emananting from the Government and the Press about my family, the present Government of LAURENT GBAGBO has also ensured that out bank accounts are frozen and all assets seized.

It is in view of this that I seek your co-operation and assistance in the transfer of this sum of Thirtyfive million United States Dollars only (US$35,000,000.00) being the very last of my family fund in my possession and control. After the murder of my father, the present Government seized all our properties and froze all our accounts both local and international. My only hope now is this cash my father carefully packed and deposited as Artifacts with a Securty/Finance Company outside Ivory Coast, this sum of US$35M can easily be withdrawn or paid to a
recommended beneficiary.

The security/Finance Company based on my instructions will release the fund to you. You are to be presented as my business partner who will be fronting for me in subsequent ventures and in truth you will be fronting for me in the areas of business you deem profitable. To show my preparedness and appreciation to conduct this business with you, I shall give you and your family 25% of the funds and 25% commission on all proceeds realized from the investment of this fund. Also, 5% is to be set aside for lany eventual cost that
may occur in the process of this transaction.

Please, I need your full support and co-operation for
the success of this venture. I plead with you to treat as urgent and confidential. This is a delicate issue, which demands a great decree of secrecy, have my current political status in mind. Also,at the moment i am residing here in holland as assylum seeker just to finish up this transaction,if you can contact me with this email addresses bellow
try, so that i can give you the number you can reach me in campin the netherland where i am residing as an
assylum, and a vedeo clip when my father was about taking the money to the security firms. Endeavor to
contact me through the email addres below
(xxxxxxx@netscape.net) for confidentail reasons
I await your immediate response.

sincerely,

MR MILKY GUEI .

You're getting the just of these emails now aren't you...

This one will also be conducted by Arthur..

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls - meet Arthur.

April 19th 23:00

Dear Milky,

I read with interest your email and wonder what I can do for you to assist you in your quest.

I understand your concerns for secrecy and can guarantee that this matter will go no further than between ourselves.

My geography is not up to much so I've had to look up where the Ivory Coast actually was. This is my first email from abroad so I'm interested in continuing this dialogue. Is there a native langauge for Ivory Coast, such as Ivorish (like English) ?

Please advise what I can do to assist you in your quest, obviously I would want to know the full details of the background to this so the video clip would be great to see.

I look forward to hearing from you, and perhaps you'ld be kind enough to advise me how you came about my personal email address.

Best Regards
Arthur

Wednesday April 23rd 11:00

DAER ARTUR,

THANKS FOR YOUR MAIL INDICATING YOUR WILLINGNESS TO ASSIST ME IN THIS IMPORTANT TRANSACTION WHICH IS THE ONLY HOPE OF MY LIFE NOW.I SAY THAT GOD WILL ALSO ASSIST YOU IN ALL YOUR ENDEAVORE.

PERSONALY I AM SOMEBODY THAT BELEIVE IN PRAYER BECAUSE I KNOW THAT NOTHING WORKS MORE PERFECTELY THAN PRAYER.

THIS MONEY WAS DEPOSITED BY MY LATE FATHER IN THE BANK HERE IN COTE D' IVORE FOR INVESTMENT ABROUD.WHEN HE WAS ABOUT I BEEN THE FIRST SON HE GAVE TO ME THE RECEIPT GIVEN TO HIM THE DAY OF DEPOSIT WHICH I WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU SOONEST FOR YOUIR CONFIRMATION.

ON THE DAY OF DEPOSIT THERE WAS A CLAUSE PLASE ON THIS MONEY THAT NO BODY SHOULD TOUCH THE MONEY UNTILL IT IS BEEN TRANSFERRED TO ABROUD.HE ALSO TOLD THE BANK THAT THIS MONEY WAS OWNED BE HIS FOREIGN BUSINESS PARTNER.IT IS ON THIS BASE THAT I WANT YOU TO HELP ME STAND AS MY LATE FATHERS FOREIGN BUSINESS PARTNER TO RECEIVE THIS MONEY IN YOU ACCOUNT THEN AFTHER I WILL COME OVER THER TO JOIN YOU FOR INVESTMENT.

THEREFORE I WILL LIKE YOU TO SEND TO ME WITH OUT DELAY YOUR PRIVATE TELEPHONE AND FAX NUMBER AND YOU FULL BANK PARTICULARS FOR ME TO SUBMIT IT TO ?THE BANK FOR IMMEDIATE TRANSFER OF THIS MONY TO YOUR BANK ACCOUNT.

AS SOON AS YOU SEND TO ME ALL THIS I WILL SEND TO YOU THE RECEIPT GIVEN TO MY
LATE FATHER THE DAY HE DEPOSITED THE MONEY I WILL ALSO SEND TO YOU THE CONTACT OF THE BANK FOR YOU TO CONTACT THEM FOR YOUR CONFIRMATION.

I WILL ALSO LIKE YOU TO SEND TO ME A LETTER STATEING THAT AS SOON AS THIS MONEY ENTERS IN TO YOUR ACCOUNT YOU ARE NOT GOING TO LET ME DOWN YOU WILL ALSO PROMISE ME IN THE LETTER THAT YOU ARE GOING TO KEEP THIS TRANSACTION VERY CONFIDENCIAL AND NOT TO INVOLVE ANY THIRD PARTY FOR SECURITY REASON.

MORE INFORMATIONS WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU ON YOU CONFIRMATION TO ASSIST ME TILL THE SUCCESFUL CONCLUTION OF THIS TRANSACTION.

LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU SOONEST.

THANKS AND GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

ALAH MANI

It should be noted that at this point the email address and name he's using has changed. I'll pick him up on this... It looks like he's coming in from an Italian ISP Liberto.

Don't you just hate it when people type all in capitals.

Alah Mani - what the hell happened to Milky..

Thur 24th April 20:10

DEAR ARTHUR,

HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

PLEASE I WISH TO TELL YOU THAT I AM WORRIED TO HEAR FROM YOU REGARDING THIS
TRANSACTION FOR ME TO KNOW THE NEXT THING TO DO TO SEE THAT THIS MONEY IS
TRANSFERRED TO YOUR ACCOUNT AS SOON AS POSIBLE FOR ME TO JOIN YOU THERE FOR INVESTMENT AND STAY WITH YOU BECAUSE THE POLITICA SITUATION OF THIS COUNTRY NOW IS VERY BAD.

PLEASE I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU AS SOON AS POSIBLE.

THANKS AND GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

YOURS ALAH MANI.

Thur 24th April 20:30

Milky,

APOLOGIES ABOUT THIS - MY EMAIL IS SET TO IGNORE EMAILS FROM ADDRESS'S THAT I HAVE NOT USED IN THE PAST AND STOPS ME GETTING LOTS OF SALES EMAILS. IT HAS BEEN PLAYING UP RECENTLY AND TOOK YOUR TWO EMAILS AND MOVED THEM TO A GARBAGE FOLDER I HAVE.

I'M SURE THAT GOD WILL ASSIST ME, IF ONLY I KNEW WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.. I TOO BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER, BUT ONLY OCCASIONALLY WHEN I'VE DONE SOMETHING REALLY BAD.

I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF I COULD SEE THE RECIEPT FOR PEACE OF MIND.

THIS SOUNDS STRAIGHTFORWARD ENOUGH ACTING AS A BUSINESS PARTNER - MY CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER IS +44 207 xxx xxxx. I DON'T HAVE A FAX MACHINE WILL THIS CAUSE PROBLEMS - CAN YOU EMAIL ME ANY DOCUMENTS.

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE RECEIPT PRIOR TO GIVING MY BANK DETAILS OVER THE INTERNET TO ANYONE - YOU CAN UNDERSTAND MY CONCERNS.

I GIVE YOU MY WORD THAT I AM AN HONEST AND LAW OBIDING PERSONAGE, I CAN GUARANTEE THAT NO-ONE ELSE WILL KNOW ABOUT OUR TRANSACTION.

i LOOK FORWARD TO HELPING YOU WITH THIS TRANSACTION AND AWAIT YOUR REPLY AND FURTHER INFORMATION.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND REGARDS BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY FAMILY

ON AN ASIDE - WHO IS ALAH MANI ? I THOUGHT YOUR PREVIOUS EMAIL SAID MILKY

BEST REGARDS

ARTHUR