I am Karl Eric Paula,British citizen and Principal assurance manager for the
HSBC in London. A staff of Yokozona consultancy firm got in touch with me
regarding the estate of Philip Mutaf. And an investment placed under our banks
management over 5 years ago. I would respectfully request that you keep the
contents of this mail confidential and respect the integrity of the
information
you come by as a result of this mail. I contact you independently of our
investigation and no one is informed of this communication. I would like to
intimate you with certain facts that I believe would be of interest to you.
In 1997, the subject matter; Philip Mutaf came to our bank to engage in
business discussions with our private banking division. He informed us that he
had a financial portfolio of 8.35 million United States dollars, which he
wished to have us turn over (invest) on his behalf. I was the officer assigned
to his case, I made numerous suggestions in line with my duties as the
de-facto
chief operations officer, especially given the volume of funds he
wished to put
into our bank. We met on numerous occasions prior to any investments being
placed. I encouraged him to consider various growth funds with prime ratings.
The favored route in my advice to customers is to start by assessing data on
6000 traditional stocks and bond managers and 2000 managers of alternative
investments. Based on my advice, We spun the money around various
opportunities
and made attractive margins for our first months of operation, the accrued
profit and interest stood at this point at over 10 million United States
Dollars, this margin was not the full potential of the fund but he desired low
risk guaranteed returns on investments. In mid 1998, he asked that the
money be
liquidated because he needed to make an urgent investment requiring cash
payments in
United Kindom. He directed that I liquidate the funds and had it
deposited with
United Assets Management Uk (in their Securities Trading Firm).
I informed him that HSBC London would have to make special
arrangements to have
this done and in order not to circumvent due process, the bank would have to
make a 9.5 % deduction from the funds to cater for banking and statutory
charges. He complained about the charges but later came around when I
explained
to him the complexities of the task he was asking of us. Cash movement across
boarders has become especially strict since the incidents of 9/11. I contacted
my affiliate in United Kingdom and had the funds available in United Assets
Management. I undertook all the processes and made sure I followed his precise
instructions to the letter and had the funds deposited at United Assets
Management Uk United Kingdom. United Assets Management Uk is a specialist bank
that accepts deposits from high net worth individuals and blue chip
corporations that handle valuable products or undertake transactions that need
immediate access to cash. In Line with instructions, the money was deposited
with United Assets Management Uk (in their Securities Trading Firm).
Philip Mutaf told me he wanted the money there as soon as he got into the
United Kingdom, This was the last communication we had, this transpired around
25th February 1999.In Sept last year, we got a call from United Assets
Management Uk informing us about the inactivity of that particular portfolio.
This was an astounding position as far as I was concerned, given the fact that
I managed the International private banking sector I was the only one who knew
about the deposit at United Assets Management Uk, and I could not understand
why Philip Mutaf had not come forward to claim his deposit. I made futile
efforts to locate Philip Mutaf. Four days later, information started
to trickle
in, apparently Philip Mutaf was dead. A person who suited his description was
declared dead of AUTO ACCIDENT TRAUMA in Birmingham England. We were soon
enough able to identify the body and cause of death was confirmed. The bank
immediately launched an investigation into possible surviving next of kin to
alert about the situation and also to come forward to claim his estate. In the
field of private banking, opening an account with us means no one will know of
its existence, accounts are rarely held under a name; depositors use numbers
and codes to make the accounts anonymous. This bank also gives the choice to
depositors of having their mail sent to them or held at the bank itself,
ensuring that there are no traces of the account and as I said, rarely do they
nominate next of kin. Private banking clients apart from not
nominating next of
kin also usually in most cases leave wills in our care, in this case; Philip
Mutaf died in testate.
In line with our internal processes for account holders who have passed away,
we instituted our own investigations in good faith to determine who
should have
right to claim the estate. This investigation has for the past months been
unfruitful. We have scanned every continent and used our private investigation
affiliate companies to get to the root of the problem. It is this
investigation
that resulted in my being furnished with your details as a possible
relative of
the deceased.
My official capacity dictates that I am the only party to supervise the
investigation and the only party to receive the results of the investigation.
You have unfortunately declared, and I know that you are in no way affiliated
with this individual. Whatthis means, you being the last batch of
names we have
considered is that our dear late fellow died with no known or identifiable
family member.
This leaves me as the only person with the full picture of what the prevailing
situation is in relation to the deposit and the late beneficiary of the
deposit. According to practice, United Assets Management Uk will by the end of
this quarter broadcast a request for statements of claim to HSBC in London,
failing to receive viable claims they will most probably revert the deposit
back to HSBC in London. This will result in the money entering the HSBC in
London accounting system and the portfolio will be out of my hands and out of
the private banking division. This will not happen if I have my way.
What I wish to relate to you will smack off unethical practice but I want you
to understand something. It is only an outsider to the banking world who finds
the internal politics of the banking world aberrational. The world of private
banking especially is fraught with huge rewards for those who occupy certain
offices and oversee certain portfolios. You should have begun by now to put
together the general direction of what I propose. There is US$ 8,370,000.00
deposited in United Assets Management Uk, I alone have the deposit details and
they will release the deposit to no one unless I instruct them to do so. I
alone know of the existence of this deposit for as far as United Assets
Management Uk is concerned, the transaction
with Philip Mutaf concluded when I sent the funds to United Assets Management
Uk, all outstanding interactions in relation to the file are just customer
services and due process. United Assets Management Uk has no single
idea of the
history or nature of the deposit. They are simply awaiting instructions to
release the deposit to any party that comes forward. This is the situation.
This bank has spent great amounts of money trying to track this man?s family;
they have investigated for months and have found no family. The investigation
has come to an end.
My proposal, I am prepared to place you as the next of kin in a position to
instruct United Assets Management Uk to release the deposit to you as the
closest surviving relation. Upon receipt of the deposit, I am prepared
to share
the money with you in half. That is: I will simply nominate you as the next of
kin and have them release the deposit to you. We share the proceeds 50/50.
I would have gone ahead to ask the funds be released to me, but that
would have
drawn a straight line in my involvement in claiming the deposit. I assure you
that I could have the deposit released to you within a few days. I will simply
inform the bank of the final closing of the file relating to Philip Mutaf I
will then officially communicate with United Assets Management Uk and instruct
them to release the deposit to you. With these: all is done.
I am aware of the consequences of this proposal. I ask that if you find no
interest in this project that you should discard this mail. I ask that you do
not be vindictive and destructive. If my offer is of no appeal to you, delete
this message and forget I ever contacted you. Do not destroy my career because
you do not approve of my proposal. You may not know this but people
like myself
who have made tidy sums out of comparable situations run the whole private
banking sector. I am not a criminal and what I do, I do not find against good
conscience, this may be hard for you to understand, but the dynamics of my
industry dictates that I make this move. Such opportunities only come ones way
once in a lifetime. I cannot let this chance pass me by, for once I
find myself
in total control of my destiny.
These chances wont pass me by. I ask that you do not destroy my chance, if you
will not work with me let me know and let me move on with my life but do not
destroy me. I am a family man and this is an opportunity to provide them with
new opportunities. There is a reward for this project and it is a task well
worth undertaking. I have evaluated the risks and the only risk I have here is
from you refusing to work with me and alerting my bank. I am the only one who
knows of this situation, good fortune has blessed you with a name that has
planted you into the center of relevance in my life. Lets share the blessing.
If you give me positive signals, I will initiate this process towards a
conclusion. I wish to inform you that should you contact me via official
channels; I will deny knowing you and about this project. I repeat, I do not
want you contacting me through my official phone lines nor do I want you
contacting me through my official email account. Contact me only through the
numbers I will provide for you and also through this email address. I do not
want any direct link between you and me. My official lines are not
secure lines
as they are periodically monitored to assess our level of customer
care in line
with our Total Quality Management Policy. Please observe this instruction
religiously. Please, again, note I am a family man, I have wife and
children. I
send you this mail not without a measure of fear as to what the consequences,
but I know within me that nothing ventured is nothing gained and that success
and riches never come easy or on a platter of gold. This is the one truth I
have learned from my private banking clients. Do not betray my confidence. If
we can be of one accord, we should plan a meeting, soon.
I await your response.
Respectfully,
Karl Eric Paula
