The 2010 world cup as a crime scene

Contact
Contact is made by e-mail with the target being notified of winning a $100,000 – about 750,000 rands in South African currency – cash prize in a “Fifa 2010 World Cup Lottery draw”. The e-mail bears a prominent picture of Mandela holding the World Cup, with logos of Fifa and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Details
The con artist initially asks for personal details to be faxed to a UK number and slowly reels in the victim with snippets of information to a point where he wants $850 for lawyers’ fees and stamp duty to be deposited into a bank account. From then on, further personal information is extracted from the victim who is now firmly hooked.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation
Nelson Mandela Foundation spokesman Sello Hatanga and Jerome Hardenberg of the Cape provincial police commercial crimes unit have warned the public to guard against being trapped. “It not only damages the Mandela brand, but also targets vulnerable people in the name of the foundation. Apply extreme caution when receiving such e-mails,” Hatanga said as he condemned the scam which he said was one of several that used the Struggle icon’s name. He said the foundation’s public announcements of its association with promotions or campaigns were a good indicator of when its name was used legitimately.

Certificate
The scammer, who calls himself Semone Chema, has a UK contact number and speaks with a Nigerian accent and “advises” the target to file a claim which gets submitted to “our legal department which will issue your certificate”. After the certificate is issued, Chema congratulates his victim, gives the assurance that the lottery is real and legal and then offers his victim two choices – either submit an affidavit to permit the transfer of the money to a bank account in South Africa, or let “our office nominate an attorney on your behalf to represent your interest and get vital legal documents” that will help facilitate the transfer.

The claim
After the Mercury newspaper faxed an application and inquired about the next step, Chema said: “Don’t worry about a place to stay if you want to come to London. But your details must be sent first. Send it soon and you can have your prize by next Tuesday before New Year’s Day.” During a second telephone conversation two hours later, he began to fend off the writer’s suggestion to fly to London to personally collect the prize. While messages left for Fifa communication officials were not returned, Scotland Yard’s media desk advised that a complaint be lodged online.