I recently received this spam email from a “family member” of the former PLO leader, Yasser Arafat. Sadly, corruption was indeed rampant in the Palestinian Authority:
From Nadia Arafat
202, Kamel El Shennawi Street, Garden City, Cairo, Egypt.
Attention dear,
In The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful Aselamu Aleikum.
Forgive my indignation to contact you through this medium without prior notice. I am Mrs Nadia Arafat, the wife of late Fathi Arafat, brother to Yasser Arafat) who just died on Wednesday 1st December, 2004. In military hospital, Cairo, Egypt.
It did not take more than 48hours after his demise when I was contacted by his security firm in Asia as his next of kin. Before his death, he entrusted many documents to me and told me to let things be since he knew that he would die considering his cancer ailment. One of those documents bore certificate of deposit from the said security firm that contacted me in London.
Hence I`m requested to correspond with them in the shortest possible time to avoid the demurrages that will accrue following the death of my husband as nobody except me can attend to such transaction. Thus I`m contacting you so that you can help me to retrieve this classified deposit from the security firm and for safe keeping pending when it will be convenient for me to travel out of Egypt. All eyes are on me now and as such I will not like to attract any attention now either by monetary transactions or by international travel.
As a result, I request you to reply to me as soon as possible so that we shall know the way forward and how to streamline issues and procedures towards the successful retrieval of this classified deposit which bear the sum of US$ 25.5 Million, I`m quite convinced that this classified deposit is enough for any investment of ones choice in a life`s time.
Endeavour to keep this mail very secret even if you are not keen to cooperate with me as I beseeched you.
Please send your reply to my private e-mail address [email protected]
Regards
Mrs Nadia