Received in the UK. Another letter with a follow-up. The original letter is your basic Usman-Bello "do you want to be a crook like me and my father" letter, somewhat snipped here. Then the follow-up - very interesting. It is the first we have seen which really starts to peel away the scam.

PLEASE KINDLY COMMUNICATE WITH ME ON MY TELEPHONE NUMBER 234-1-7752725 AND FAX NUMBER 234-90-408143 BECAUSE COMMUNICATION VIA EMAIL IS INSECURE FOR THIS DEAL.

Should you be interested and need more explanation, call me at once on Telephone Number, 234-1-7752725. When you call ask me for my motherās name (NENE) to ensure that you are speaking with the right person. OR simply send a fax to 234-90-408143.

THE FOLLOW UP

Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2000 15:41:45 +0100 (BST)
From: BELLO USMAN
Subject: PLEASE, CALL ME
To: (kindly contributor)

I thank you sincerely for your prompt response and the willingness to execute this transaction with me. I would need you to treat this transaction with utmost confidentiality due to its nature and also establish a working understanding between us. It is with these and trusts in each other that we can successfully conclude this transaction.

Be informed that I have spent the last two months to fine tune the best way to finalize this transaction without encountering any problems. Now, I have resolved to execute it because the modalities to successfully transfer the funds have been put in place.

So, it is better you understand that this is not a childās play and as such I would need your total commitment and cooperation in all ramifications. Most of all, you have to be financially credible to take care of the funds once it is transferred into your account.

If you are convinced that you can handle it, I would need you to immediately send me the name of the company you would like to use as the beneficiary and your direct TEL and FAX numbers. On receipt of the above information, I shall employ the services of an accredited attorney to prepare a deed of assignment in your companyās name that will show that the contract was sub-letted to you by the original company straberg italianospa. I shall send you a copy of this deed of assignment which you will sign and return back to me by fax. On receipt of it, the attorney would take it to the Federal High Court of Justice for Notarization and Stamp duty to give it a legal status. After this, he will take it to the Federal Board of Inland Revenue for certification. As soon as it has been certified you will be regarded as the bona-fide beneficiary to sum of $60M, which emanated from the sub-letted contract originally awarded to Straberg Italianospa. Note that the entire documents will be backdated to measure up with the time the original contract was awarded. All these measures need to be taken to ensure that the deed of transfer from the original company to you is legal. You will agree with me that besides the money the safety of our various families matters most.

[ Pause for mental health break: this last part seems pretty threatening to me, how about you?]

Also, I want you to know that this entire operation is going to costs us a lot of money. So, once you have embarked on the transaction with us, there would be no going back. It is better we do not start at all than start and abandon the transaction half way.

[ So does that.]

Immediately we have put the above in place, I shall send you a letter of application for the release of funds, which you shall transcribe on your letterheads and return back to me by fax. On receipt of the fully endorsed copy, I shall hand it over to the attorney to enable him tender it to the International Remittance Department of the CBN for approval. Once it is approved, it means that the funds are due for transfer. The entire process is not easy but achievable due to the bribes and tips we would have to give to people in key positions..

THAT's where the scam really begins. You pay the "bribes and tips" - to "people in key positions", i.e., whoever REALLY wrote this letter.

At this point, I like to inform you in confidence that the Director of Foreign Remittance Dr Rasheed Mohammed is fully behind the finalization of this transaction. This means that as soon as the attorney have tendered the letter of application on your behalf, Dr Rasheed would be able to approve of it in no time. So, our chances of success is as good as Gold and the entire transaction is risk free since we are following a legal way to create you as the beneficiary and also we intend to destroy all documents regarding the transfer as soon as the funds have been transferred into your account.

Meanwhile, you shall be required to speak with Dr Rasheed as soon as we have applied for the release of the funds so that he can educate you on how he intends to transfer the funds into your account without problems in future. Letās take one step at a time to avoid any mistakes. All, I can tell you now is that we would both have a course to celebrate in the end if we have a working understanding and trust in each other. Besides, with the involvement of the Foreign Remittance Director, we cannot achieve anything short of success. Awaiting the required information and please, call me on receipt of this message.

BEST REGARDS,
DR USMAN BELLO

Keep far far away. What else can we say? We really don't advise you to play with these guys, but we thank the kindly contributor of this letter nonetheless.