What did I just say?

Here we go again. They write "foreign investment project", which sounds good. They then go on to say they want to embezzle their company out of money and need your assistance to do it.

On the one side they say; "We are honerable and trustworthy partners" and then "let's do an illegal deal with each other".

Despite the long winded story, they still only want your money! My advice? Don't touch it.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Foreign investment project. (25-Jul-2005 14:39)
From: mark_eyadema@go.com
To: markeyadema61@go.com

CHIEF. MARK EYADEMA
FINANCE/PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DIRECTOR
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM RESOURCES
FALOMO OFFICE COMPLEX
LOME,REPUBLIC OF TOGO
I am writing you on the strength of our search for a foreign investment opportunity, partnership or individual, who can be trusted to oversee a foreign investment project.

I got your contact information from a former director of Togolaise Import and Export Trade Promotion Council (TIETPC) who assured me your capability and good reputation in investment project. Although, I did not disclose to him the face value of the transaction which I want to discuss with you.

We are the officials of the TOGOLAISE LIQUIFIED NATURAL GAS (TLNG), an affiliate of Togolaise National Petroleum Cooperation (TNPC). After due deliberation with my colleagues in the ministry, I was therefore mandated as a matter of trust to contact you as a partner to whom we could transfer a reasonable amount for foreign investment project, hence the need for a foreign partner.

I have decided to seek for a confidential co-operation with you in the execution of this transaction described hereunder for the benefit of all parties and I hope you will maintain absolute secrecy because we are government officials.

Within my ministry where I work as a Director of Finance/Project Implementation, and with the co-operation of other top officials, we have in our possession an overdue payment bill which we want to transfer with the assistance and cooperation of a foreign company or an individual to receive the said fund on our behalf, or a reliable foreign non-company account that will accommodate such fund. The amount $27.3M USD represents some percentage of the contract value executed on behalf of my Ministry by a foreign contracting firm, which we the officials purposely over inflated for our own use.

Although the actual contract cost have been paid to the original contractor, leaving the balance in an escrow account which we have in principle received an approval to remit to a foreign bank account that you will provide. Since the Togolaise Government is determined to pay every Foreign Contractor all debts owe so as to maintain good relationship with foreign and non Government Financial Agencies, we then decided to include our bill for approval with the cooperation of some officials from the appropriate federal payment agency.

We are seeking your assistance in providing a good company's account or any other bank account into which we can remit this money by acting as our main partner and trustee or acting as the original contractor. This we can do by swapping of account and changing of beneficiary and other forms of documentation upon application for claim to reflect the payment and approvals to be secured on your behalf.

This process being an internal arrangement with the department concern. I have the authority of my partners involved to propose that should you be willing to assist in the transaction, we will share the money as thus: 20% of the total fund for you the account owner, 75% for us (the officials) and 5% to settle any expenses in the course of this transaction.

Please be informed that my colleagues and myself will be depending on your kind advise and directives as we wish to privately invest our share of the fund into a foreign products both in Togo and your country as you may advise in due course. So you will be expected to provide us with a background information concerning yourself and your company to enable us make an evaluation and conclude on which line of business to take.

Note that it is important to maintain absolute confidentiality of this business because my colleagues and I are top Government Officials who have put in many years of meritorious service to our ministries and would not want to experience any kind of exposure that will jeopardize our image. I wish to assure you that this transaction is expected to take 14 working days for the fund to get into your nominated bank account.
send your reply to my private mail(markeyadema@netscape.net)for security reason.

Thanks as I patiently anticipate receiving your urgent response.

Faithfully yours,

CHIEF MARK EYADEMA
LOME TOGO