(This email is exactly how we received it, spelling and all)

Subject: i need your assitance

Union Bank Plc
Nigeria

I am the Manager Bill and Exchange of the Foreign Operations Department Union Bank Plc Lagos Nigeria. I am writing in respect of a foreign customer of my bank with account number: 142552004/wb/t who died in November 1997 in a plane crash.

Since we got the information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release unless somebody applies for it as the next of Kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines. And since no one has come forward to claim the fund for years now, we discovered/realized that that the fund (US$12.8m) the account no: 142552004/wb/t has been abandoned. As the deceased is from your country it will enable us proceed the release of the money to you. It is therefore upon this discovery that I and two other senior officials in the department now decided to make business with you and release the money to you as the Next of Kin or relation of the deceased for safety keeping and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we do not want this money to go back into the Federal Government Account as Unclaimed Bill.

This is because the banking Law and Guidelines here stipulated that if such money remains unclaimed after five years the money would be transferred into the Banking Treasury as unclaimed fund.

It is in view of this, I got your contact through the foreign trade mission after I was convinced in my mind that you/your name could be used as the next of kin to the deceased. The request of a foreigner as Next of Kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer is a foreigner and a Nigeria cannot stand as a Next of Kin to a foreigner. I agreed that US$4.5M of this money/fund will be for you for your involvement, Three Hundred Thousand Dollars will be donated to charity while the rest will be for me and my partners. So upon the conclusion of this transaction and your receipt of this fund, I and two other of my colleagues will visit your country for the disbursement.

Therefore, to enable the immediate transfer/release of the fund to you as arranged, you must apply first to the Bank as a relation or Next of Kin of the deceased.

Upon receipt of your reply I will send to you by fax Text of the Application and the next steps to take. I will also not fail to bring to your notice that this business is hitch free and that you should not entertain any fear as the whole required arrangement as been made for the transfer/release of the fund to you. Note: This transaction is confidential/risks free. As soon as you receive this email, you should contact me at once through the above stated email address.

Thanks, trusting to hear from you immediately,

Yours Sincerely,

MR GANI ALABI

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