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Poison E-Mail Targets Brunei For Fast Buck
By Azlan Othman

Bandar Seri Begawan - A virulent e-mail scam on the lines of the infamous so-called "Nigerian Fax Scam" this time aimed at smearing the good image of Brunei has surfaced, causing serious concern among the people and relevant authorities.

A senior police spokesman, who condemned this diabolic cyber crime, warned the public to be wary of it and take precautions by not falling prey to the mechanisms of the criminal perpetrators.

According to sources, the scam targets Brunei and its financial assets.

Conmen used various fake nicknames such as Sheik Muda Prince Fayad Hakeem. E-mails are being sent to all and sundry.

Their motives are two fold. Firstly, to smear the good image of Brunei and secondly, to make a fast buck, observers said.

One e-mail scam highlights the alleged financial mismanagement of nearly US$15 billion.

The e-mails claim the sender is presently under house arrest and seeks assistance from the recipient of the e-mails to invest the funds into profitable investment in one's country.

The sender claims to have invested $500 million in cash under special arrangement into the custody of different private security and trustee companies for safe keeping abroad in Switzerland, London and Netherlands. The recipient will receive a fee of 20 per cent from the total amount, the e-mails claim.

A permanent resident who received the bogus mail told Weekend yesterday: "I receive about two e-mails a day of this nature, mostly out of Africa. I immediately delete them, but when I saw one referring to Brunei, I was alarmed, as this type of message going out to the world would be very bad for Brunei's image.

"I am a permanent resident here, it is my home and I would hate anything that would give Brunei an undeserved bad name such as this," he lamented

Meanwhile Police CID Director, SAC Peng Eng Lee yesterday reminded the public against such a scam, which is similar to the Nigerian scam. "If you entertain such mail, it could lead you to financial difficulties in the end," he said.

He also called the public not to entertain the e-mails but to pass such information to the police.

He advised the public of the potential of getting duped. They could face a risky situation during a possible meeting with the fraudster outside Brunei, he said. However Police said they have not yet received any fraud cases concerning such bogus e-mails. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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