By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting, December 2010.
“Dear John Smith
I am your partner in Christ and I need your confidential assistance. I know that we have never met but when I saw your profile on the internet, I knew immediately that you are the right person and that we could do some business together.
My name is Jane Doe and my late father, Dr. Sam Doe was ruthlessly murdered by a group of armed dissidents, here on the Ivory Coast. I was severely beaten and left for dead, but managed to escape and am now living under court protection, in my ivory tower here at the palace. I speak to and see no-one other than the servant who brings me my meals.
My late father, may God rest his soul, left me with a large inheritance – US$29.4 million to be precise, and I would very much like this to be used to not only secure my release, but also to start my life in a new country and in a well established business. I would like you to assist me with investing this money in the right kind of business for me.
I would of course need to introduce your name to the bank as a matter of urgency, as my late father’s foreign business partner wants to take the money and invest it in his country and then I will be left with absolutely nothing.
The bank will contact you and transfer the money to your bank account. As soon as the money is in your account, you will need to assist me to come over to your country, where we will run the business together. Please let me know how much you will take as your percentage to assist me in this regard.”
Sound familiar? I am sure it does!
Here’s the thing though – I took bits and pieces out of several of these e-mails which means that whilst they are never exactly the same they are all based on the same kind of theme.
That said, they all have the same consequence – you will lose not only your money, but also the shirt off your back, if you take this discussion any further!
So don’t think about what could be or should be. Turn your desperation key off and blow out the candle on your greed. This is one fight you will not win. Hit the delete button and get on with your life.
This is really one statistic that you do not want to contribute to or become a part of.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
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