Notes: The scammers letters are posted exactly the way I received them. My replies are in the grey boxes, and the scammers and his aliases are in the other colours. I have added pictures, where necessary, in order to help those who are unfamiliar with some of the references I have made. I have also posted explanatory comments at the end of some of the messages, these also serve as a running commentary.

From : Mr. Joseph Otumba <xxxx@portugalmail.com>
To: <xxxx@hotmail.com>

Date : Sat, 12 Jul 2003 20:09:32 +0200

FROM: ENGR.JOSEPH OTUMBA.
H.O.D ACCOUNTS DEPT.
FIRST BANK PLC(HQ)
35 MARINA LAGOS,
LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA.
PRIVATE PHONE :+234-80-3320xxxx
ALTERNATIVE EMAIL; <xxxx@yahoo.co.uk>

It is my humble pleasure and trust, I write this very
important letter to you, considering you are capable
and kind enough to assist us in this understated
business proposal. I am just trying to know if you can
be of help, irrespective of the fact that we didn't
know each other before or have met for the first time
in life. I came across your contact via international
profile in my earnest searching for a truthful/honest
person to handle this business with us. Firstly,
I must solicit your strictest confidentiality in this
transaction, this is by virtue of its nature as being
top secret and confidential. I am Engr. Joseph Otumba,
Head of Accounts Department. First Bank Plc (HQ) Lagos
Nigeria. I know that a transaction of this magnitude
will make someone whom you didn't know for the first
time to feel apprehensive, but be assured that all
will be well with every involved persons at the end of
this business as it is risk free.

THE PROPOSITION

A FOREIGNER, ENGR.MICHAEL CREEK (AN EXPARTRIATE
ENGINEER, who has a domiciliary Account with this
Bank, FIRST BANK NIG. PLC (HQ) Foreign Operation
Unit,was an oil merchant / contractor with The
Federal Government of Nigeria for many years, but for
about 2 years now from 2000 his account was dormat
without saving more money or withdrawing from the
account as it used to be and because of this
development, his account officer MR. HENRY EGOBIA
reported the matter to me as the head of the account
department, and upon this report, I conducted a
personal investigation by sending MR. HENRY to the
address submitted by Engr.Creek as of the time he
opened the said account with us to know the cause or
reason of everything before the matter will be made
known to the bank in general.

But pity he came back with a report to me that Engr.
Creek died some time in 2000 in a ghastly car
accident in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria Oil heart city
leaving in his account US$20.2m cash. Now I have
informed the bank authorities and board members about
this matter and after many meetings, they resolved
that I should contact the relatives or next of kin on
behalf of the bank, for them to file a letter of
claim, but all efforts by this dept to contact any of
his relatives or next of kin have proved unsuccessful.
His country embassy has tried without success and
wrote to me suggesting that the fund be shared to THE
RED CROSS, CHILD CARE TRUST or MOTHERLESS BABIES HOME
and AIDS ORGANISATION IN AFRICA .In order to prevent
the bank from diverting this fund as unclaimed fund or
sharing it as said by the embassy which I know they
will not do, I and my colleagues MR. HENRY EGOBIA
being MR. THOMAS's account's officer, the bank lawyer,
P.R.O. and the administrative Manager now seek your
assistance for you to stand as the next of kin /
relation of Engr Michael Creek in claiming this
US$20.2m. All the documents that will enable you cliam
this fund will be carefully provided for you to submit
for the workout of this claim. If this is acceptable to
you, kindly contact me through this private e-mail
address or via my private phone number
+234-80-3320xxxx also forward to me your
telephone, fax, mobile number, your full home address
for easy communication as more detail will follow up.
We will be also happy to hear from you. We have
agreed to part with 20% percentage of the total amount
as your own share of the money for assisting us in
this deal. We shall also map out percentage of this
money to take care of incidental expenses that may
arise in the course of this transaction.
Immediately this fund is being remitted into your
account, note that high degree of trust is required
from you.

Thank you in anticipation of your co-operation.

Awaiting your response urgently.

Regards,
Engr.Joseph Otumba.
H.O.D. ACCOUNTS DEPT.
FIRST BANK PLC.

My son received an email from you regarding $20.2 million that is locked in the bank account of engineer Michael Creeks, in his First Bank Nig. PLC (HQ) account.

I am very sorry to hear that Mr. Creek was killed, and I would like to help you get the money out of his account. Since I am already quite wealthy I do not need any more money, myself. However, my favourite charity could certainly use the 20% share you are offering, so I will donate it to them instead.

If this sounds acceptable to you, then please contact me again so we can start arranging for the transaction to begin.

Yours faithfully,

William Johnstone.
Woodbury Manor,
Sussex,
Great Britain.

NOTE:

Every detail of mine in this message is, of course, fake.

I intend to play this persona a little more 'straight' than my Bistard persona.

Tue, 9 Sep 2003 07:24:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: CONTACT ME ASSAP..
Memo: DEAR WILLIAM JOHNSTONE,

Thanks for your prompt response to my mail. May the
Good God continue to bless you. I will like to let you
Know that this transaction needs immediate follow up
If you really want to assist us to have this money in
Your account.

I can assure you that this transaction is 100% legal
And risk free as all underground work has been carried
Out by I and my partners. Please reply and let me know
If you really want to help us so that I can forward a
Letter on your name requesting the release of this
Money into your nominated bank account.

All you have to do, call me today as soon as possible
So that I can give you further directive on what next
To do immediatly, you can reach me on my telephone
Number 234-803355xxxx, this is my private direct number.

These are the modalities.

(1) You do not have to come over to Nigeria before this
Transaction can take place, what I need from you is to
Be honest with me at the end.

(2 ) There is 100% guaranty for you to have this
Money in your account within the next five (5) bank
Working days.

(3) You will be guaranteed as the next of kin to
Late engr. Michael creek as the beneficiary of
This money, as all underground work has been
Concluded.

All you need to do is to fill out carefully the next
Of kin payment application form which will be send to
You from the foreign operations unit of the bank.As
Soon as this form has been carefully filled out by
You, you are to returned it back to the bank via there
Email address or fax number immediatly, so they can
Forward it to the vetting officers who will now sign
It for payment approval. And once it is approved you
Will be paid via the Central Bank of Nigeria or via
Our offshore payment center in UK for immediate
Remmitance to your nominated bank account. We have
Also made an arrangement on any cent you spent on this
Transaction, must be write down by you and evidence
That the fund was incured for the betterment of this
Transaction, this fund which being incured by you will
Be refunded by us when the fund finally arrives your
Nominated bank account, before the whole fund will be
disbursted.

Please call me as soon as you get this message on my
Private telephone number-234-80-3355xxxx for further
Directive on this matter. And as soon as I hear from
You. Please note that it is important that this
Transaction be kept very confidential (top secret). This
Is for our good interest. Please note that you will be
Rewarded with 30% of the whole money ($20.2 million)
When the money finally gets into your bank account.

Thanks.

I await your immediate response.

Best regards,
Joseph.

Sorry for the lateness of this reply, but since retiring last year I have become more involved in the local community. As a result, I am often out during the day, plus, my large estate, with it's many horses, keeps me busy too.

After some consideration, I have decided that the charities I will donate my share of the money to will be the Ferenginar Ear Lobe Reconstruction Trust, and the Dr. Zimmerman Home for Retired EMH's. These charities are run by two of my friends, the first by Dr. Bashir, and the second, by Dr. Zimmerman, of course.

As I am going on an important targ hunt tomorrow, I won't be able to call you until the following day. These hunts are planned months in advance, and can't be got out of, especially since my tactical advisor, Mr. Worf, has offered to show us some new techniques for tracking the prey.

Since you live in Africa, I guess you probably do some hunting too. Am I correct in my assumption? If so, what do you like to hunt the most?

Oh well, I better sign off now. Once again, I'd like to thank you for letting me get involved with this proposal. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

By the way, if you want to send me further instructions by email, then please do so, as it will probably speed things up a bit.

Kind regards,

William Johnstone

NOTES:

The second paragraph has a number of Star Trek references in it. Ferenginar is the home planet of the Ferengi, an alien race with very large and ugly ears. Dr. Zimmerman is a scientist who created holographic doctors for use on Federation starships. These holographic doctors were called Emergency Medical Holograms, or EMH's, for short. Dr. Bashir was the name of a 'real' doctor on the Star Trek series Deep Space Nine.

In the third paragraph, the Star Trek references continue, with a Targ being an animal from the Klingon homeworld, and Mr. Worf being a Klingon and a tactical and security officer from the Trek shows STNG and DS9.

Mr. Worf - the Klingon

A Klingon Targ

A Ferengi

Thu, 11 Sep 2003 12:26:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: GET BACK TO ME ASSAP..
Memo: DEAR WILLIAM JOHNSTONE,

Thanks for your mail. I appreciate it and I pray that
God almighty will see us through as we continue in
this transaction, amen.

Once again I will like to thank you for the courage
And trust you have taken. As you have said that you
Will not let your friend know about this transaction
Is alright by me, you must know that you will have to
Keep this most confidentially to yourself and not to
Your friends.

Let me start by telling you that this transaction is real.
And it is 100% legal and every document backing it up
From this very stage to the last stage has been
Prepared for us not to go through any hitches. I assure
You that you are not committing any crime in assisting
Me for this transaction.

And I would also want you to furnish me with these for
Me to have much trust in you towards this transaction,
That if the money finally arrives in your nominated
Bank account you will not sit on it.

1. Your age.
2. Your company if there's any
3. Your house address.
4. Your photograph.
5. Name of your country.
6. Telephone number

Kindly provide me with these to assure me you will not
Sit on the fund when it finally arrives your nominated
Bank account.

Thanks and god bless.

I await your urgent response.

Best regards,

Joseph.

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, this targ hunt is taking more time than I thought, owing to the rugged nature of the Stovokor hills on which we are carrying it out. The fact that I am not as young as I used to be is also slowing things down. As a result, I am having to reply to you via my laptop and the phone line of a nearby tavern.

First, let me say that I am comfortable with your guarantees about this venture and I trust you in the same manner that I trusted my former business partners Mr. Weyoun and Mr. Dukat. You can trust me in the same way, also.

Here is the information you requested:

1) I am 63 years old.

2) I am retired from business.

3) Woodbury Manor, High Street, Sussex.

4) I attach a picture to this message.

5) England.

6) Phone 293 92xxxx.

Please continue to use the email to contact me, until I return from my hunt.

By the way, you didn't answer my question about whether you hunted, or not?

Also, could you send me your details and picture as well, as I think it's important I know something about you, especially since we're going to be business partners. I'd also be most interested in knowing what you intend doing with your share of the money, as it's always interesting to find such things out.

I look forward to hearing from you soon,

William Johnstone.

NOTES:

The name Stovokor is what the Klingons call the world you go to when you die.
Weyoun and Dukat are the names of two Star Trek 'bad guy' aliens, neither of whom can be trusted.

The photo I sent him was of James Doohan, who played the part of Scotty on the original Star Trek series.

Mr. Weyoun and Mr. Dukat

James Doohan

Sat, 13 sep 2003 13:48:38 -0700 (pdt)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: God almighty will see us through.
Memo: Dear William,

Thanks for your prompt reply to my mail. I pray that
God Almighty will guide and protect you and I to see
the end of this transaction amen.

As we have said, you will have to still keep this
Transaction proposal off the site of your friends and
Anyone else, this is due to some security reasons.

As for your question, I am going to invest the money
In your country and as a matter of fact, you will be
the one to assist me and truely we will become
business partners.

As for the details you reguire too

1. My full name: Joseph Otumba

2. Age: 47 years old (he told my other persona he was 44)

3. My home and office address: 12, Bishop Kings Avenue
Victoria Garding City Lagos Nigeria.

4. Office: First Bank of Nigeria plc(hq)
9th Floor, Ikoyi Estate
Victoria Island, Lagos

5. Telphone number: 234-80335xxxx

6. Picture: will be sent as soon as it is ready.

I believed I have answered your questions, please
Contact me as soon as possible so as to know on what
next step to take towards this transaction.

Thanks and god bless.

Best regards,

Joseph

Your prompt replies are always appreciated.

I am most satisfied with the details you have sent to me. Your willingness to be open and true with me is an indication of your good character. Please don't neglect to send me your photo as well, as that is also an important trust indicator.

If you are going to invest your money in my country then you should consider investing some of it in land. The land around the former mithril mines of Moria County is going quite cheap at the moment, and could be a good long-term investment. There are also good industrial sections in The Shire, especially around the settlements of Rivendell. Since the Elrond Council is always looking for foreign investors, you would have no problem in getting permission to acquire some land.

What do you think of this idea?

Anyway, I'll sign off now. Let me know what the next phase of the transaction is, as soon as you can.

Best wishes,

William Johnstone.

NOTES:

In the second paragraph there are a number of Lord of the Rings references. Mithril mines, Moria, and Rivendell are all places in the story and Elrond is a character in the story.

14 Sep 2003 10:05:21 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: CONTACT THEM ASSAP
Memo: DEAR WILLIAM,

Thanks for your prompt response to my last mail, I'll
Like you to know that any money that is been spent in
The process of this transaction will be refunded back
As soon as the transaction is over including the 30%
which you have been promised.

I hope you will return home from hunting, so as to get
this transaction done in no time via telephone and
mail. As for your question, I will send you my picture
As soon as it is ready, I know that is one of the
ways you will have to trust me

As for your ideal, I am going to invest my own part
Of the money in your country and I will need someone
Who will direct me on how to make things work out for
Me, so I don't mind, I am interested as long as you
Will be the one to lead me on how to go about things.
But my question is, it is going to be alright if I invest
it on land.

I believed we can conclude this transaction this in no
Time, if you and I want it to be concluded and also
Remember that this transaction needs utmost
Confidentiality and urgent attention, it depend on how
Committed and how much trust we have in each other
That will get this fund out as soon as we want it to be.

So be assured that you are to recieved the percentage
You are entitled to when this fund arrives your
Nominated bank account which is 30% of the total sum.

Dear friend, the next step for us to take now is for
You to contact the foreign unit because they are the
One that will direct us on what to do and they are the
One that will order the central bank of Nigeria to
Release the fund $20.2m into your bank account.

You have to contact them as soon as possible telling
Them you want to claim the fund of your late brother
Engr Micheal Creek, who died in Nigeria in 2000. That
It will be your pleasure for them to tell you what to
do, so that you can collect what is rightly belongs to
You as his next of kin.

Make sure you do that as soon as you get this mail.
And let me know their reponse as soon they contact
You. Their contact is e-mail xxxx@financier.com. That is
their email address of the head office in United Kindom.

I believed god has answered our request, just contact
them and let know what next.

I await your urgent response.

Thanks and god bless.

Best regards,

Joseph

ATTENTION: The Foreign Unit.

To whom it may concern,

I have become aware of some funds belonging to my late brother Michael Creek that are being held by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Since I am the next of kin of Michael Creek, I am making my rightful claim to all of his funds, which, I believe, amounts to $20.2 million.

Please ensure that all the appropriate documents for claiming his funds are sent to me as quickly as possible.

Regards,

Lando Calrissian Creek.

NOTE:

My first reply to the Foreign Unit. I have decided to use the name Lando Calrissian Creek, when I am posing as the brother of Engineer Michael Creek.

Lando Calrissian is a roguish character from the Star Wars universe.

Lando Calrissian

BACK TO JOSEPH

Dear Joseph,

I have contacted the Foreign Unit and told them everything you said to tell them. I will let you know what they have to say, as soon as they get back to me.

By the way, I mistakenly sent the same message to your email address as well. Sorry about the mix-up.

I think it's always a good idea to invest in land, as it is something that can only increase in value. So I think you should seriously consider buying some in my country.

I will be in touch as soon as the Foreign Unit contacts me. And while we are waiting for them to get back to me, why don't you use the time to send me your picture?

Regards,

William Johnstone.

15 Sep 2003 14:28:55 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: WAIT FOR THEM
Memo: DEAR WILLIAM,

Thanks for your response, I appreciate it and God
Almighty will see us through, amen. I am so glad that
You have contacted the foreign unit and I will advise
To wait for them to contact you back so as to know
What and what we will do to get things done in no time.

As for the picture I promised, I have been able to get
one of mine picture scanned, so we will both have
Trust on which other.

As I have said, we will have to wait for them and lets
see what comes out of it.

God bless you

Joseph.

Mail attachment no. 2
Type: image/pjpeg
Filename: Joseph Otumba.jpg

15 Sep 2003 10:47:50 -0500
From: Foreign Unit. <xxxx@financier.com>
To: William Johnstone < xxxx@postmaster.co.uk >

subject FORM OF COMFIRMATION OF NEXT OF KINSHIP
memo Attn: Lando Calrissian Creek,

Your mail was received by us and this organisation sympathize with you in the lost of your brother. And we will do all we can to get your fund out for you.

You are to provide this bank with the infomation required in the attach box below before the transfer will commence.

Head of Department Foreign Unit

Dr. Daniel Foster

THE DOCUMENT THE FOREIGN UNIT SENT:

I have received a document from the Foreign Unit. They are requesting information on Michael Creek, and other things. I will send the required information to them, as soon as possible.

There is a problem, however.

The picture you sent did not come out very well, and is almost impossible to see. I am sending you a copy of the picture, so you can see how bad it is for yourself.

Please send me another picture. It should be as good as the one I sent you and in COLOUR. This is VERY important, especially if we are to proceed with this deal. I will wait for the new picture before I send my information to the Foreign Unit.

Thank you for your understanding.

Kind regards,

William Johnstone.

NOTE:

The photo he sent me was simply a scanned black and white picture from a newspaper. (See below left) I told him it came out badly distorted when I opened it, because I knew he'd be unable to produce a 'genuine' photo when I started demanding one later on. He obviously wasn't the person in the newspaper picture; so, by making him think it was badly distorted (See below right) he'd think it was still ok to send me a real one.

16 Sep 2003 01:59:27 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: WILL RESEND IT.
Memo: DEAR WILLIAM,

Thanks for your response and I am so happy that the
Foreign unit has contacted you, so I hope we are
Progressing in this transaction.

As for the problem you said about my picture, I will
Resend it to you again but the point there is the
Picture is in black and white form, but the picture was
clear, at least you could see clearly.

The picture was veiwed on my computer here and it was
alright but I wonder why it became as bad as this. I
will try and send it again as soon as I send this mail
to you.

Best regards
Joseph.

NOTE:

I don't think sending that picture again is going to change anything!

JOSEPH RE-SENDS THE PICTURE

16 Sep 2003 02:13:31 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: HERE IS THE PICTURE AGAIN.
Memo: DEAR WILLIAM,

You can now check the picture, let me know how it is
but put this at the back of your mind that this
picture happens to be in black and white.

Mail attachment no. 2
Type: image/pjpeg
Filename: Joseph Ohunola.jpg

NOTES:

It's still 'faulty', Joseph. I wonder why!

BTW, he forgot to change the image file name to match the name he is currently scamming me with. Instead of Otumba.jpg, he sent me Ohunola.jpg.

Sloppy, very sloppy!

Unfortunately, that picture looks just as bad as the last one you sent. I also see that it is still only black and white.

I am sorry, Joseph, but I am starting to think that you are not as serious about this deal as I am. If you do not want to send me a good quality colour photo, then I will have no choice but to end this business deal.

As an added security I will now require proof that any photo you send is really you. For me to be completely satisfied that the photo is of yourself, you will need to do the following.

Send me a photograph of yourself, in COLOUR, and with you standing up. Also, in order to prove that the photo is recent, you must hold FOUR bananas in your hand. The bananas must be clearly visible, so that I can make sure there are four of them. The reason for this is because four is my lucky number, and bananas are my favourite fruit. If you follow these instructions EXACTLY, then I will accept your photo as genuine. If you do not, then our deal will be over.

I am sorry to be so hard on you, Joseph, but I didn't become a wealthy man by not being careful about who I was dealing with. Don't forget that I do not need any more money, myself, so I do not care if this deal does not proceed.

Regards,

William Johnstone.

NOTES:

I decided to lay down the law and demand a real picture of him, as I knew he'd just keep on stalling me if I didn't. The reason I told him to hold four bananas was part of a back-up plan I had for another photo, assuming I couldn't get him to budge on furnishing a photo of himself.

I didn't hear from him for two days after I sent this email, and I thought I'd scared him off. But, no, he came back with the reply below. He obviously decided it would be worth the risk, just in case there was a lot of money to be made from me.

18 Sep 2003 11:18:46 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: YOU CAN TRUST ME.
Memo: DEAR WILLIAM,

Thanks for your mail, I appreciate it. I will like you
To know that the picture that was sent to you was
Myself but nevertheless I will send another one to you
to show that I am the one but this time in coloured.

I will be holding 4 bananas has you have said and I
Will also be standing you so that can prove to you
That I am really interested in this business deal and
for you to have trust in me and I have in you.

I have taken the pictures but I will like to wait for
me to get them scanned so that I can send them to you
as soon as it is ready.

Get back to me as soon as you get this mail.

God bless you.

Best regards
Joseph

NOTE:

He's said he'll take the picture, but he's still taking his time actually doing it.

I am very pleased that you have decided to take the picture. It proves to me that you are a man of honour who can be trusted.

I will wait for your picture before responding to the Foreign Unit.

Regards,

William Johnstone.

NOTE:

Let's see how long I'm going to have to wait.

19 Sep 2003 06:04:48 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
Memo: DEAR WILLIAM

How are you? Hope all is fine with you. I will send
you the picture as soon as possible. I will send you
what you asked to show that I am who I say I am.

REGARDS

JOSEPH

NOTE:

After waiting for nearly five days it was obvious that he wasn't going to reply to me again, so I decided to try and get him back.

How are things going with you? I thought I better contact you to see what is happening with our deal.

I am still interested in helping you get Michael Creeks funds out of Nigeria, but we will need to get going again very soon. The reason for this is because I am currently in France, staying with some of my hunting friends. However, I will soon be leaving here to go on a hunting trip to Canada, which will mean I won't even be able to use my laptop, as there are no phone lines where we will be hunting.

If you are still serious about completing this deal you will need to send me your photo within the next three days, as my flight to Canada is booked in for October 4.

Contact me as soon as you can.

Regards,

William Johnstone.

NOTE:

While trying to get him back I thought I'd put the pressure on at the same time, hence the trip to Canada line. Unfortunately, he wasn't biting.

Time for a different approach.

I have been thinking about this Michael Creek business and I have come up with an idea.

Since it is clear that we may have to pay off some people in order to get access to Mr. Creeks funds, why don't I just provide the money to do it and save us a lot of time and trouble? That way, we can sort the whole thing out a lot quicker than if we have to go through the proper channels.

What do you think?

Do you know the right people to bribe, in order to get this matter sorted out quickly?

How much would it cost to bribe the necessary people?

Let me know what you think, and soon, as I'd like to get this finished before I go to Canada.

Regards,

William Johnstone.

NOTE:

I thought this bribery angle would peak his interest by making him think he will be able to get money out of me quicker, plus, I was hoping it would speed things up for me as well.

Sure enough, he got back to me the next day.

27 Sep 2003 06:45:07 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: Let me know ur finally conclusion..
Memo: DEAR WILLIAM,

Thanks for your mail and your interest towards this
transaction. I pray for god's guidance in this
Transaction always amen. I am sorry that I haven't
mailed you for sometime now, I have been out of Lagos
and just came back last night from an assignment in
Abuja.

I will like you to know that it is only the central
Bank of Nigeria that is aware of Micheal Creek's fund
in my bank but I don't think it will be better if we
bribe the manegement of Central Bank of Nigeria since
they are the one in charge of large of sun of money
like Micheal Creeks.

If we go through the right channel, it is going to
take us lots of time but if you insist that you will
have to bribe the head of accounting Central Bank of
Nigeria, I will send you his email address and you
will have to deal with him directly yourself but
Please don't involve me.

I am not sure how much it is going to cost you to
Bribe him and you know that he will have to bribe some
of his officials too and I think it may cost you more
but let me leave that to him to decide.

Get back to me and let me know what your finally
decision is.

God bless you always.

Best regards
Joseph.

NOTE:

Well, I wasn't expecting that!

I was sure he would just start accepting bribes on behalf of some phoney contacts he would invent. But, no, he seems intent on actually creating some completely new 'people' for me to deal with.

Thanks for letting me know what I must do in order to finish this deal quickly.

I think I will do what you have suggested and contact the head of accounting at the Central Bank of Nigeria. Could you send me his e-mail address please?

If I am successful in getting Michael Creek's money I will send you half of it, since it was you who found it in the first place and because it is the right thing to do.

Please send me the necessary details, as soon as you can.

Thanks for your help.

Regards,

William Johnstone.

28 Sep 2003 08:33:58 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: this is not the deal
Memo: DEAR WILLIAM,

Thanks for your prompt reply to my mail. I appreciate
it and pray for God's mercy over us all amen.

I am not suggesting that you should contact the head
of accounting in Central Bank of Nigeria, as for me, I
will still like to see what the Foreign Unit sent to
You and then we will know what next to do.

I think if we go through the right process of this
transaction, it will be safer and easier for us. You
Know nobody must know about this transaction even the
Head of accounting Central Bank of Nigeria for our
security.

If you cantact the head of accounting Central Bank of
Nigeria, he may want to know how you got the
information about Micheal Creek's fund and
Investigation may take place and we may loss the
money.

The head of accounting Central Bank of Nigeria name
are Adekunle Thomas but I will not give you his
Address now not untill I get your finally conclusion.

My friend, I am surprised at you, I am beginning to
suspect you that you will sit on the fund when it gets
To your nominated bank account because you are telling
me that you if you can get the money through the head
Of accounting central bank of Nigeria, you will give
me half and you know that is not the deal, the deal
was 30% for you.

William, it is left to you now, get back to me and let
me know what your finally conclusion is.

God bless you

Best regards
Joseph.

NOTE:

What the heck!

Now he seems to be wanting to keep playing the original 'game', and he's getting a bit snarky as well.

The reason I want to contact the head of accounting, at the Central Bank of Nigeria, is because I don't think you are serious about completing this deal. If you were, you would have sent me your photo by now. If it takes you a long time just to send a simple thing like a photo, I wonder how long it will take you to organise an important deal like the one we have been working on. I need someone who gets things done, not someone who takes forever to do anything.

If you want me to continue working with you, then you will need to prove to me that you can get things done, and the easiest way you can do that is by sending me your photo. Don't forget, the photo must be exactly as I described it in my earlier email, as that is the only way I will know that it's genuine.

To be honest, I would prefer to complete this deal with you, but if you can't organise things quickly, then I'll have no choice but to find someone who can.

Well, that's about all I have to say. It's now up to you whether this deal continues, or not. I hope that it does.

Regards,

William Johnstone.

NOTE:

Since he seems keen on getting 'with the program' again, I thought this would be a good time to try and get that picture I've been after, as that is one of a scammer baiter's main goals.

Let's see what happens now.

29 Sep 2003 12:18:46 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: what will u tell him?
Memo: DEAR WILLIAM,

Thanks for your prompt response to my mail, I
appreciate it and pray that god will see us through
Amen.

I would have sent you my photo with the conditions
behind it, the picture is ready, scanned and saved in
My laptop but unfortunately, the memory board device
in the laptop got burned by high voltage of
Electricity, so now I think I need a new laptop.

I am presently using a friend computer and I am
thinking it is unsafe for me using his computer
Because I am supposed to keep this away from everybody
except you for security reasons.

As for now, I will not be able to send you the picture
for that reason but if you don't believe me, I got no
Choice than to give you the head of accounting,
Central Bank of Nigeria email address. As I have said
in my previous mail, his name is Adekunle Thomas and
His email address is xxxx@yahoo.com

You can contact him but please don't involve me in
this as I will not be a part of it, you can deal with
Him directly, try and let me know what he say so that
I can tell you how to deal with him but once again,
don't tell him anything about me but he will want to
Know how you got to know about Micheal Creek's fund.
what are you going to tell him?

If you will like to bribe him, he may want a big sum
of money since he is also going to bribe other
Officials like himself too, but I am not sure how much
it is going to be.

William, try your best and see what you can do to get
Micheal Creek's fund to your account and since you
will be dealing with Adekunle Thomas yourself, you can
as well give me half of the money.

Get back to me with your finally conclusion.

God bless you

Regards,
Joseph.

NOTES:

Damn it, Joseph is using a scam-baiter excuse to get out of having to send me his picture. I know his computer is ok, because he is using it to communicate with my other persona, Stuart Bistard. Oh well, I am pretty sure I'll be able to get one out of him, using this persona, sooner, or later.

Actually, I think he has decided that my bribery idea is likely to be more 'profitable' for him, and that is why he has decided to run with it. I wonder where this tale is going to end up now.

Thanks for letting me know what the situation is. I will contact Adekunle Thomas and see if he will help me to secure Michael Creek's funds. I am quite sure that I will be able to pay any amount he requests, but if he is too greedy then I will just tell him to forget it.

As for what I will tell him about how I know of Michael Creek, I haven't quite worked that out yet, but I have some good ideas. However, I will be going on my hunting trip to Canada soon, so I might just leave this matter until I get back, which will be in about two weeks from now. I will also contact you as soon as I return.

Regards,

William Johnstone.

NOTE:

I told him I was going to Canada in order to give me time to concentrate on my Stuart Bistard persona's scam-bait.

Sat, 18 Oct 2003 01:04:09 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: The latest news.

Dear William,

I was wondering why you haven't mailed me for sometime
now, I hope all is alright. Its been a long time now.

I want to know if you are back from your trip to
Canada, if you are, let me know and also keep me
informed if you are still intrested so that I can give
you the email address of the head of accounting
Adekunle Thomas, he has changed his email address now.

William try and give me a call on my private number if
you are back on 234-803-355-7686 so as to direct you
on how you can talk to him and I have also gotten the
picture u required of.

Get back to me asap.

God bless you

Regards
Joseph.

NOTE:

Wow, it looks like Joseph is really worried that William has lost interest in the deal; why else would he suddenly be offering to supply his picture?

Anyway, I've got a plan to wrap this saga up as well as my Bistard one. Hopefully I'll be able to get a few 'trophies' along the way.

Thanks for your email and your concern about me.

Unfortunately, I am not alright, as I badly injured my foot during the last days of our hunt - one of the Targs we were hunting attacked me and I twisted my ankle as I tried to get away. Anyway, I am now stuck in the local hospital until it heals enough so that I can walk again. The only good thing about being in hospital is that I can use my laptop to contact you once more.

Since I now have some time on my hands I guess I should use it to get started on our business again. In order to get the ball rolling you should send me the picture and the email address of Adekunle Thomas, as soon as possible. In return, I will tell you how I plan to explain to Mr. Thomas how it is that I know of Michael Creek's fund in your bank.

It is important that you get back to me with the email address and picture quickly, as this may be the only chance I get to devote all of my time to completing our business. Once I get back to England I will probably be far too busy to spend any time on it.

Regards,

William Johnstone.

NOTES:

I decided that a Targ injury - that animal from Star Trek, remember? - would be a convenient excuse for staying in Canada and for having no way to talk to him on the phone. I also thought the urgency angle would enable me to wrap up this scambait in a fairly short time frame.

I thought you might be interested in seeing a picture of the Targ that attacked me, so I have attached one to this email. The man in the picture was our hunting guide and tracker.

Anyway, get back to me with that email address and picture as soon as you can.

Regards,

William Johnstone.

NOTES:

I didn't hear from Joseph for nearly two days and thought I'd blown it with my Targ story. I sent this email, along with a pig hunting photo I found on the net, to him in order to validate my tale. The pig in the photo looks somewhat similar to a Targ.

Fortunately, he bought it.

The 'Targ' that attacked me.

21 Oct 2003 10:20:51 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: LIKE TO KNOW
Memo: DEAR WILLIAM,

How are you doing now in the hospital? I hope you are
getting better, thanks for your mail. I saw the animal
that attacked it, I am so sorry about that. I am so
happy that we can conclude this transaction in time now.

I will like to know if you will like to conclude this
transaction with me or with the head of accounting,
Central Bank of Nigeria Adekunle Thomas.

If you will like to conclude this with me, I will send
you the picture as you have requested, if it is the
head of accounting, Central Bank of Nigeria, I will
send you his new email address, so that you can
contact him all by yourself.

Get back to me with your answer.

God bless you.

Regards
Joseph.

NOTE:

Damn, I thought he was going to send me his picture straight away. Now it looks like he wants me to choose between it and dealing with his 'boss'.

I am starting to feel better now, thanks, but I still can't walk. Doctor Pulaski says my foot is starting to heal, so it shouldn't be too long before I'm up again.

As for which way I should go with this transaction, I think I would prefer to choose the way that is quickest.

If you think it would be quicker for me to deal with you, then send me the picture.

If you think it would be quicker for me to deal with Adekunle Thomas, then send me the email address.

However, since we have already spent some time on this together, it is probably better if we go with the first option.

Regards,

William Johnstone.

NOTES:

I thought by making Joseph choose which way to go, he would be less suspicious of why I wanted his picture now. Of course, it's the picture that I really want.

I emailed my bank today and got them to open a special account for handling everything to do with our business deal. I have transferred $80,000 (US) into it for the payment of any expenses that may crop up, like bribes and other things. I think that this amount will be sufficient, but if it isn't, I can just transfer some more cash into it.

What I need now is for you to tell me who I will be dealing with, and quickly, as I am only going to leave the special account open until I leave Canada.

I await your prompt reply.

Regards,

William Johnstone.

NOTES:

Again, I don't hear from Joseph for two days. This is most unusual. Does he want to continue with me, or not? It's almost like he can't make up his mind about whether I'm for real, or not.

I sent this email in order to force his greedy side to override his cautious side. I hope it works!

23 Oct 2003 12:39:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: FASTEST WAY.
Memo: DEAR WILLIAM,

Thanks for your mail. How are you doing now in
hospital? I hope you are getting better, I pray for
good health for you amen.

I appreciate your effort towards this transaction of
ours and I can see how serious you are in assisting me
get Micheal Creek's fund but I have been thinking of
this for sometime now that we have less time on our
side, so I will prefer we do the quickest way.

I have gotten Adekunle Thomas phone number and I was
told that he is still using the old one I gave you
sometime ago which is xxxx@yahoo.com and
his private phone number is 234-802-352-xxxx, it will
be better if you can get him on phone or his email address.

Why I am saying this is because going through Adekunle
Thomas as the head of accounting Central Bank of
Nigeria will be faster than the legal way, if you and
I continue in this transaction without the knowledge
of Adekunle Thomas, we will have to go through the
Central Bank of Nigeria in order to get the money out.
So it is better you contact him, I am sure he can
conlcude it in a week time or more since he is
in charge of large funds like Micheal Creeks.

So please, I hope you can remember our deal, so try
and contact him and keep me informed on how far you
have gone with him.

God bless you.

Regards
Joseph.

NOTES:

It worked, but blast, I wanted that picture!

I guess Joseph thinks he'll be able to get more money, more quickly by doing it this way.

Don't forget that it'll be him playing the part of Adekunle Thomas.

An unexpected delay has occurred.

When I went for another X-ray today, Dr. Pulaski discovered a problem with my injured foot that he missed the first time. This means that I will have to have an operation on it tomorrow in order to repair some damaged ligaments. As a result, I will have to start working with Adekunle Thomas a bit later now. I should be able to get started again sometime before next Wednesday.

I will let you know when I am ready to start.

Regards,

William Johnstone.

NOTES:

I sent this email in order to buy some time for my Stuart Bistard persona. He is trying to get another 'trophy' from Joseph, as well, but Joseph wants to concentrate on my William Johnstone persona. The reason Joseph wants to do this is simple, he definitely does think that WJ is going to be more profitable in the short term than SB.

By the way, Dr. Pulaski was a doctor on the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Dr. Pulaski.

24 Oct 2003 02:22:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Otumba <xxxx@hotmail.com>
To: William Johnstone <xxxx@postmaster.co.uk>

Subject: GOOD HEALTH.
Memo: DEAR WILLIAM,

I am sorry about the unexpected delay and hope you
will get on your feet soonest and pray good health for
you amen.

You have to take things easy and be patient do that
Dr.Pulaski will do the operation for you and then you
can start your business with Adekunle Thomas.

But be less assured that we have less time on our
side, when you are through with the operation, get
back to me and remember to keep informed on your
update.

Awaiting your reply.

God bless you.

Regards
Joseph.

NOTE:

Well, that worked. Now I can get back to my Stuart Bistard persona.