On December 1st, I began a brief relationship with one Mr Zuma Pule from Johannesburg, South Africa. Mr Pule wrote to inform me of a financial opportunity he was inviting me to partake in. The following is the correspondences between the two of us over the last few days:
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FROM:ZUMA PULE
TEL: 27-739666420
E-MAIL;joohnzuma@hotmail.com
20 BOTHA CRESCENT,
SANDTON, JOHANNESBURG,
SOUTH AFRIACA
MD/CEO,
APPEAL FOR ASSISSTANCE
I know that this message will come to you as a surprise since we don’t know each other before, but for purpose of introduction, I am ZUMA PULE the Bank Manager of AMALGAMATED BANK OF SOUTH AFRICA (ABSA).
First and foremost, I apologize using this medium to reach you for a transaction / business of this magnitude, but this is due to Confidentiality and prompt access reposed on this medium. Be informed that a member of the South Africa Export Promotion Council (SEPC) who was at the Government delegation to your country during a trade exhibition gave your enviable credentials / particulars to me. I plea to seek a confidential co-operation with you in the execution of the deal described hereunder for the benefit of all parties and hope you will keep it as a top secret because of the nature of this transaction.
There is an account opened in this bank in 1990 and since 1998 nobody has operated on this account again. After going through some old files in the records, I discovered that if I do not remit this money out urgently it would be forfeited for nothing. The owner of this account is MR. SAMUEL CARTER , a foreigner, and a miner at Kruger gold co., a geologist by profession and he died since 1998.
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 his company does not know anything about this account and the amount involved is (USD$35,000,000M) thirty five million
United States Dollars.
I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money cannot be approved to a local bank here, but can only be approved to any foreign account because the money is in US dollars and the former owner of the account is MR. SAMUEL CARTER a foreigner too.
I know that this message will come to you as a surprise as we don’t know ourselves before. We will sign an agreement, but be sure that it is real and a genuine business.
Please reply urgently so that I will inform you the next step to take immediately. Send also your private telephone and fax number including the full details of the account to
be used for the deposit.
I want us to meet face to face or sign a binding agreement to bind us together so that you can receive this money into a foreign account or any account of your choice where the fund will be safe. And I will fly to your country for withdrawal and sharing and other investments. I am
contacting you because of the need to involve a foreigner with foreign account and foreign beneficiary.
I need your full co-operation to make this work fine because the management is ready to approve this payment to any foreigner, who has correct information of this account, which I will give to you later immediately, if you are capable and willing to handle such amount in strict confidence and trust according to my instructions and advice for our mutual benefit because this opportunity will
never come again in my life.
I need truthful person in this business because I don’t want to make mistake I need your strong assurance and trust. With my position now in the office I can transfer this money to any foreigner’s reliable account, which you can provide with assurance that this money will be intact pending my physical arrival in your country for sharing. I will destroy all documents of transaction immediately we receive this money leaving no trace to any place.
You can also come to discuss with me face to face after which I will make this remittance in your presence and two of us will fly to your country at least two days ahead of The money going into the account. I will apply for annual leave to get visa immediately I hear from you that you are ready to act and receive this fund in your account.
I will use my position and influence to effect legal approvals and onward transfer of this money to your account with appropriate clearance forms of the ministries and foreign exchange departments.
At the conclusion of this business, you will be given 30% of the total amount, 70% will be for me.
I look forward to your earliest reply
Yours truly,
ZUMA PULE
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Zuma,
Thank you for contacting me. I am interested in this opportunity, and do have an American Bank account to deposit the funds into.
I would like to negotiate the percentages though, as I will be incurring much of the risk. How does 55% for me, and 45% for you seem?
Please let me know as soon as possible, time is running out.
Thank you.
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Dear Craig Hennecke ,
Thank you so much for your mail and your interest to help transfer this fund to your account in your country.
Please i can not speak Chinese but i hope this would not be a problem to this transaction.
Now listing to me very well, we need to be very fast in this transfer of the fund because the bank auditors mighty be comeing in any time from today, therefore do what ever that it takes to be here this week so that i take you to the bank to open a non-resident dollar account in your name where the fund will be deposited first before finally transfer to your nominated local in your country and finally to sign the release order of the fund and other legal transfer documents which will be changed into your name as the beneficiary of the fund.
Please this needs to be done immediately, so try all you can to buy your air ticket and send to me your flight scheldue so that i will make a hotel reservations for you where you will stay just for onlt 2/3 days for the fund to be transferred into your nominated account, and with your flight scheldue i will know the date of your arrival so that i will come to pick you up from OR TAMBO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT JOHANNESBURG.
To prove to you that what you are comeing for is legal and genuie i attached a copy of my international passport, a copy of our late customer Mr. Samuel Carter death certificate and his account balance in the bank as at today.
Remember that Mr. Samuel Carter is the late owner of the fund we want to transfer to your account in your country for our investments since there no body to come for it.
all the legal transfer documents will be issued to you on your arrival and immediately the fund is transferred to your account i will go with you for withdrwal and sharing.
Please we need also a copy of your international passport or ID, your fax/house and company address so that we can use them to change all the legal transfer documents into your name before your arrival here.
Thanks,
ZUMA
NB: Please we need to move this fund out into your nominated account immediately to avoid delay, therefore i urge you to make fast to be here if possible this week.
To the percentage you should know that i am not the only one involved in the transaction therefore with my own power as the manager and as theperson in four front of the transaction i would sugest you take 40% while i and others take the rest and you should also understand that we map out 5% of the total amount for our expenses.
I need to hear from you as soon as possible.
Thank.
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Zuma,
I speak English, not Chinese, so this won’t be a problem.
As an American, this is a risk I will be taking, so I would like at least 55% of the profits. I understand there are several parties involved, but that is something I would have to have in agreement before proceeding any further.
Once we agree on that, i can work with you.
I’m trying to find the best airfare deal right now to fly directly into JOHANNESBURG. Additionally, my doctor is out of town right now, and he supplies me with the medication which helps during these long flights to Africa.
My bank account is ready for the transaction, once we clear up the percentages then we can continue with this and finish our business in a timely manner.
As a surgeon, my time is precious, as I’m sure yours in as well… so the quicker the better for all those involved.
Enclosed in a picture of my accountant, who will work on my side to clear the funds in my bank account.
Thanks
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Dear Craig Hennecke,
You are free to fly down immediately since we have agreed to give you the 55%.
When you are ready send me your flight scheldue so that i make your hotel reservations and pick you from the airport.
Thanks,
zuma
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Zuma –
This is excellent news! Thank you for alerting me of such great conclusions.
I am having trouble getting a window seat for my flight down to your airport, so it may take a day or two still.
My doctor, thankfully, has called in a prescription for my flight anxiety. Once I arrive I hope to get some great food.
What do you recommend which is close to the airport?
Thanks
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Dear Craig Hennecke,
What type of joke are you trying to crack with me instead of telling me something important in the matter at hand.
Please tell me something.
thanks,
Zuma
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Zuma –
I assure you I am not trying to joke with you.
I have medical food issues and will not be satisfied by the airplane food. It is important that I eat as soon as I get off the plane.
I am curious as to the options of food for when I arrive.
This is QUITE serious to me, I have health issues.
Please keep me informed.
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Dear Craig Hennecke
PLease we would like your own lawyer to prepare the agreement and send to us for signing while you send us a copy of your international passport, you home/company full address, your private phone/fax numbers so that we start chaneing the legal transfer documents in your name before your arrival.
Remember that a nonresident dollar account must be opened and upgrade in your name here in South Africa where the total fund will be deposited first before onward transfer to your nominated local account in USA.
This transfer of the fund to your account will only take 2/3 days, so you have to stay with us for those days and after that i have to go with you for the withdrwal and shareing.
Thanks,
Zuma
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Zuma –
I do not have a lawyer, what should I do about this?
I also do not have a fax machine – the closest one I can access is 2 hours from home. Is it important to have a fax machine?
Also, my current address will be changing as I am being evicted due to having too many cats in my home.
My landlord is not very accepting of this 12th cat, and has issued a summons for me to leave on Dec 15th.
What is your phone/fax #?
Where will I stay when I arrive? How will the lodging be?
Will I have a private bathroom?
I am allergic to birds, will that be a problem? I have never been to Africa before
I need to have these details cleared before I finalize my traveling arrangements.
Thank you for working close with me during this process. I hope it is worth the hassle in the end.
I am excited to have money finally, it will help me get a larger home and possibly more cats.
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Zuma –
I have not heard from you lately and many of my questions remain unanswered.
A ticket to fly down there has been purchased, (I did get a window seat!) and I will be arriving on Thursday the 11th at 7:15am.
Is this going to be a problem?
Please let me know either way. Thanks
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Dear Craig Hennecke,
Thank for your mail.
Just like you have said if you have bought your airticket, then i need to have your full flight scheldue so that i will make a hotel reservation for you, but most importantly you have to send a copy of your international passport, your full home address and your phone numbers for our easy cumunications.
Your coming on the 11th is not a problem but we must have all the requested itrems from you before any other thing.
Thanks,
Zuma
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Zuma,
I was mistaken, my arrival time on the 11th will be 3:50pm
I’ll be leaving from Washington DC arriving:
Johannesburg (JNB)
Arrive 3:50 pm
South African Airways
Flight: 208
AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A340-600
Attached is a copy of my passport.
What is the hotel I will be staying at?
Will you be meeting me at the airport?
How will I know it’s you?
I typically wear a bright red hat when flying, you should know me that way.
What are the rates of the hotel?
I am unfamiliar with African hotels, if there are cultural norms I should know before arriving, please alert me.
Thank you
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Dear Craig Hennecke,
You can still see that you are joking, how dear you sent me a cover of your passport, no phone number as i requested.
Please send a real passport amnd your phone number or you forget about the transaction because i am not a fool as you may think.
Thanks,
ZUMA.
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Zuma,
I meant no disrespect. I apologize, I thought you wanted to see that I had a passport.
I am not comfortable sending a copy of my passport through email. I do not trust the security of emails.
Do you have a phazar machine? This would be the best way to send the passport information without the security troubles which emails invite.
Also, you never answered my previous questions.
I am beginning to doubt your sincerity in this matter, I am not a fool either Zuma.
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Dear Craig Hennecke,
You do not have to worry yourself much about the answers to your questions, i will do that immediately i receive the copy of your international passport and your telephone number because i would like to talk to you.
You can fax through this number 0027-866178662.
Thanks,
Zuma
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Zuma –
I wanted to let you know that I have decided to take up another offer I was emailed about today.
There is someone else in Africa who happens to be in a very similar situation.
They don’t have as much as $35million, but they have agreed to giving me a much higher percentage than you were willing to.
They also have answered many of my questions with no hesitation.
They also do not need my passport to be emailed to them.
They also have access to a phazar machine.
I will use my airline ticket to meet them instead, as they have informed me of the local great eating places nearby the airport as well.
As a businessman, I’m sure you understand this decision.
Best of luck.
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