I'm sure at some point we've all got emails from people telling us someone has died and we can get hold of their inheritance by handing over our account no. etc. I find some of the stories they come up with hilarious (the Nigerians are the funniest) so decided to post the latest one here. Feel free to add yours if you wish to.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Happy New Year 2011 to you and your family; my name is Mr. Sagmeister Franz, before moving to Belgium, I am a branch manager at one of the top banks in Hamburg. I am also the Account officer to Mr. Dieter Bock, a German Millionaire businessman who choked to death on food from his own restaurant on May 12 2010 at the age of 70.
Before his death, Mr. Bock was famously described by Edward Heath in 1973 as “an unpleasant and unacceptable face of capitalism”, Lonrho had been led by Rowland for three decades, during which time it had grown from an obscure African mining business into a conglomerate whose interests also embraced hotels, car dealerships and The Observer newspaper. Lonrho’s performance in the early 1990s had suffered both from falling commodity prices and from the distraction of Rowland’s bitter battles over the ownership of Harrods, in which he had never forgiven the Fayed brothers for outwitting him.
As profits slipped and debts rose, hitherto loyal investors began to lose confidence in Rowland, who at 75 showed no sign of loosening his grip — until the advent of the mild-mannered, self-effacing Dieter Bock, who presented himself at Rowland’s office in October 1992. His interest in investing in Lonrho was, he declared, driven by a belief that the group had the right skills to help him expand his own interests in Eastern Europe.
Bock, worth an estimated 600 million euros ($736.8 million), owned a string of famous hotels that included the 250-room Atlantic Hotel, which has housed guests such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Andre Agassi and Placido Domingo, and where much of "Tomorrow Never Dies" was filmed. But the truth is that Bock is far worth more than that. Mr. Bock has an extra total of Euros 109 Million in a coded rainy days savings under my care which nobody knows about.
Since nobody knows about this I seek your consent to front you as the Next of Kin of the deceased Mr. Bock so that the proceeds of this Account valued at 109 Million Euros can be paid to you then you and I will share the money at 6o% to me and 40% to you. I have all necessary legal documents that can be used to backup any claim we may make. All I require is your honest cooperation to enable this deal get through. The whole money is in his rainy days account waiting for "you", his next of kin to claim it.
You are not paying any single dime; I have it all taken care of already. All you need to do it front as the next of kin and I will take it from there. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the Law. I have arranged everything that all our business relationship regarding this will be close within the confine of my financial broker friend's office and the bank. Please get to me immediately with your direct cell phone and fax numbers to enable us further about this transaction. Please also copy your replies to my alternative email address under my name below for security purpose.
Thank your for your anticipation.
Sagmeister Franz
f-sagmeister@hotmail.com