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The Streaming Media newsletter mailing list may have been hijacked in order to promote an advance-fee fraud scheme.

If you subscribe to this popular newsletter, be on your guard against e-mail scams.

In the first of possibly several e-mails that were sent to the Streaming Media subscriber list, Mrs. Mariam M. Sese-seko, former wife of President Mobutu Sese-seko of Zaire, appears to make a personal request for help. Mrs. Sese-seko, it seems, has deposited $30,000,000 with a security company, but is afraid to claim it due to the harsh political realities of the time. Instead, she would like a trustworthy American to claim it and invest it on her behalf.

The scam is intended to subtly escalate in order to coerce the recipient into giving up his bank account number and other personal information as part of a larceny or identity-theft operation.

If you receive a letter like this one, DO NOT RESPOND to it. At the least, a response will put you on a spammer's prime target list. If you have received a letter, but have not lost any monies to this scheme, please print a copy of the e-mail — including internet-headers — and fax it to the U.S. Secret Service at (202) 406-5031. If you have lost money to this or a similar scheme, you may contact the Secret Service using their e-mail form or by snail mail to:

United States Secret Service
Financial Crimes Division
950 H Street, NW
Washington D.C. 20001

This is the text of the fraudulent e-mail:

Dear friend,

I am Mrs. Sese-seko widow of late President Mobutu
Sese-seko of Zaire, now known as Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC). I am moved to write you this
letter. This was in confidence considering my present
circumstance and situation. I escaped along with my
husband and two of our sons Benson and Basher out of
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Abidjan, Cote
d'ivoire where my family and I settled, while we later
moved to settled in Morroco where my husband later
died of cancer disease.

However, due to this situation we decided to change
most of my husband's billions of dollars deposited in
Swiss bank and other countries into other forms of
money coded for safe purpose because the new head of
state of (Dr) Mr Laurent Kabila has made arrangement
with the Swiss government and other European countries
to freeze all my late husband's treasures deposited in
some european countries. Hence, my children and I
decided laying low in Africa to study the situation
till when things gets better. Like now that
president Kabila is dead and the son taking over
(Joseph Kabila). One of my late husband's chateaux in
Southern France was confiscated by the french
government, and as such I had to change my identity so
that my investment will not be traced and confiscated.

I have deposited the sum Thirty Million United State
Dollars (US$30,000,000,00.) With a security company
for safe keeping. What I want you to do is to indicate
your interest that you can assist us in receiving the
money on our behalf, so that I can introduce you to my
son (JAMSE) who has the out modalities for the claim
of the said funds. I want you to assist in investing
this money, but I will not want my identity revealed.
I will also want to acquire real/landed properties and
stock in multi-national companies and to engage in
other safe and non-speculative investments as advise
by your good self.

May I at this point emphasize the high level of
confidentiality, which this upcoming project demands,
and hope you will not betray the trust and
confidence, which I repose in you.In conclusion, if
you want to assist us, my son (JAMES) shall divulge
to you all briefs regarding this project, tell you where
the funds are currently being maintained and also
discuss remuneration for your services.For this reason
kindly furnish us your contact information,that is
your personal telephone and fax number for validation
purpose and acknowledge receipt of this mail using the
above email address.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs. Mariam M. Seseseko.