Phishing using Spam for bait.

Within an hour after publishing this post, I received the following e-mail:

Dear Sir,

I am Barrister James Walker, a solicitor at law. I am the personal
attorney/solicitor to one MR PETERS HARTS, a national of your country, who
used to work as a contractor with various government parastatals here in
South Africa. Herein after shall be referred to as my client.

On the 21st of April 2002, my client, his wife and their only daughter were
involved in a fatal car accident along Pretoria express road. All the
occupants of the vehicle unfortunately lost their lives. Since then I have
made several enquiries here and abroad through your embassy to locate any of
my clients extended relatives, this has proved unsuccessful.
After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to contact you, since
you share the same last name.

I am contacting you to assist in repatriating the assets and capital of my
client valued at Ten million, Five hundred Thousand United States Dollars
($10.5 Million) left behind by my client, before the money gets confiscated
or declared unserviceable by the security finance firm, the bank where this
huge deposit is lodged. The bank has issued me a notice to provide the next
of kin or have the account declared redundant and the large volume of money
confiscated within the next 25 working days.

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over two years,
now I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased,
since you share the same family names, so that the proceeds of this account
can be paid to you.

Therefore on receipt of your positive response, we shall then discuss the
modalities for the transfer and the ratio with which we shall share the
money. I have all necessary information and legal documents needed to back
you up for a successful claim. All I require from you is your honest
cooperation to enable us see this transaction through.

I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that
will protect you from the breach of the law.

Kindly notify me on my email: james_5_7walker@yahoo.co.uk to indicate your
willingness in assisting us and for further details upon your acceptance of
this proposal.

Best regards.

BARRISTER JAMES WALKER.

It always amazes me that people fall for this stuff but I guess greed will cloud common sense. I especially like the part where he says "I decided to contact you, since
you share the same last name." I guess in South Africa they pronounce "Harts" the same way we pronounce "Have Opinion, Will Travel."