Not really totally forensics-related (yet), so feel free to move it Hogfly... might turn into forensics, though

Just got an email similar to the Nigerian scam-emails.

Background: I just started my own business. I don't publicise my (business) email-address, I do advertize my business. I've never received any spam yet on my business email-address...

Here's the email I got:


Sir/Madam,

I am writing you this letter in confidence after receiving a confidential
message from the family of my client and very close associate Col. Eddy
Kapend who was the army spokesman and special aide to the late President
Laurent-Desire Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo who ruled the
country from May 1997 to January 2001. My cleint was identified as the ringleader
and was sentenced to death by the current government administration in the
Democratic Republic of Congo following his involvement in the assassination
of the President Laurent-Desire Kabila on the 16th of January 2001.

My cleint Col. Eddy Kapend in association with the late President Laurent-Desire
Kabila recovered
millions of dollars from the former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko following
rebellion against him by President Laurent-Desire Kabila and also making
arrangements with the Swiss Government and other European countries to freeze
all his accounts amounting into billions of dollars. They also engaged in
the sales of copper and diamonds, which is the chief export of that country.


According to the message received from my client?s family and with the verifications
made by me, my cleint deposited the sum of Forty Eight Million United States
Dollars ($48M USD) with a Private Security Deposit Firm overseas for safekeeping.
My cleint and his family have confided in me to look for a foreign partner
that will help in putting the funds into the banking system and also to
assist in investing the funds so that his family will not suffer while is
he gone.

Since my cleint and his family have mandated me to look for a foriegn partner,
that is my main reason for contacting. Please do not despair since I got
your email from a business advertising website on the Internet before making
my contact with you. I do not intend to fail my cleint because I have been
a very close associate and legal consultant to my client, and also a close
member of their family for almost fifteen years now before I relocated to
Europe with my family.

I have made contacts with the Private Security Deposit Firm and also concluded
final arrangements with them to take over the funds by a new beneficiary
legally. I shall take care of all the legal aspects of this transaction
and I can assure you that everything is 100% risk free. I desperately need
your help. I will need you to contact the Security Deposit Firm on the behalf
of my cleint; secure the funds after you must have been made the beneficiary
and deposit the funds into a bank account for investing.

In consideration of your expenses during the course of this transaction,
my client?s family has decided to give you 20% of the total funds after
transfer and invest a reasonable amount into investments that we shall both
manage for the family based on percentage and for mutual benefits.

In conclusion, if you are willing and ready to assist us recover my client?s
funds, please indicate so in your return reply mail and I will put you into
the picture of this transaction by emailing you with more details of this
transaction and how it will be achieved.

Looking forward to your urgent and positive response.


Best Regards,

PETER Zentel

NOTE: Send your replies to; pzentela@yahoo.co.uk
cleint/client (me!) receives 20%! Yay!

Here's the email header:

Return-path: <zentelpa@tiscali.ch>
Envelope-to: my business email
Delivery-date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 19:33:49 -0400
Received: from [212.40.5.186] (helo=mx2.tiscali.ch)
by server78.totalchoicehosting.com with esmtp (Exim 4.34)
id 1CBiWb-0003W8-9i
for my business email; Sun, 26 Sep 2004 19:33:49 -0400
Received: from [80.250.32.84] by mx2.tiscali.ch with HTTP; Mon, 27 Sep 2004 01:24:30 +0200
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 16:24:30 -0700
Message-ID: <40FB8B450002A225@mx2.tiscali.ch>
From: "PETER ZENTEL" <zentelpa@tiscali.ch>
Subject: CONFIDENTIAL MAIL
Reply-To: zentelpa@yahoo.co.uk
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
A UK reply-address, a Swiss (ch = Confederatico Helvetica or something... that's Switzerland) email address...

And then this:
Please do not despair since I got
your email from a business advertising website on the Internet before making
my contact with you
That's indeed pretty much the only place you could get that email address from...



I'm replying right now...