Chevron Oil Contract Award Proposal
An email purportedly from the Chairman of “Chevron Oil Company” in South Africa has been received by consumers with what seems a lucrative business proposition.
The business proposal attached to the email entices the recipient with an offer to acquire ten percent of a budgeted $US 22.5 million if they are willing to manage the investment project.
The proposal states that the company has approved this multi-million dollar investment in schools, hospitals and resort/public relaxation centres with a swimming pool. It asks the recipient to register their interest in managing the project on behalf of the company for a generous fee of $US 2.25 million. The proposal also asks for suggestions for other investment projects.
The email and attached proposal asks for interested people to send their personal details to a “Fred Chambers” in their legal department and is signed “Anthony Bongani – Chairman” with a Cape Town address and phone number. While the address is the real one, the phone number is a South African mobile number known to be associated with advance fee frauds or Nigerian scams. Email addresses listed are also bogus and emails sent will almost certainly be directed to the fraudsters and not Chevron.
It is likely that, once contact has been made, you will be asked for a fee to be sent by wire transfer in order to release the funds into your bank account. Of course, there are no funds and your money will be lost. There is also a risk that personal details given to the scammers could be used in identity fraud.
It is common for fraudsters to use logos and brands of well-known and trusted companies like Chevron to make their scam attempts seem legitimate.
So, apart from the poorly worded email what else do you think might have tipped us off that this is another scam? Well the fact that, amongst the many recipients, they also sent the email to the Minister for Commerce, who is responsible for Consumer Protection.
It may seem like a deal you can’t refuse, but we strongly recommend you don’t be tempted to respond and delete this email immediately.