Nigerians in Space

It may be easy to spot, but email fraud still persists. Peter Moore looks at the bizarre story of the Nigerian astronaut

Most people have some experience of email fraud. The aim of fraudulent emails is simple: they are designed to gain your trust and subsequently take your money.

While the aim of these emails stays constant, their subjects vary wildly.

They promise recipients vast financial rewards in return for aid or assistance holding money by providing a safe ‘Western’ bank account, which is shielded from the glare of their corrupt authorities.

Many of these emails are sent from African countries. They are characterised by outlandish stories, poor English grammar and promises of vast sums of money. As they are designed to be sent to a large number of receivers and therefore are written indirectly – the author will never mention your name or any snippets of information that relate to you specifically.

Below is a text of the most bizarre of these emails that I have ever seen. It is sent from Nigeria, and the sender claims that he had to hide some money on behalf of an astronaut friend who is stranded upon a secret Soviet military space centre. The email claims that he has been on the space station for the past 14 years.

Here is the full text:

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Subject: Nigerian Astronaut Wants To Come Home

Dr. Bakare Tunde

Astronautics Project Manager

National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA)

Plot 555

Misau Street

PMB 437

Garki, Abuja, FCT NIGERIA

Dear Mr. Sir,

REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE-STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

I am Dr. Bakare Tunde, the cousin of Nigerian Astronaut, Air Force Major Abacha Tunde. He was the first African in space when he made a secret flight to the Salyut 6space station in 1979. He was on a later Soviet spaceflight, Soyuz T-16Z to the secret Soviet military space station Salyut 8T in 1989. He was stranded there in 1990 when the Soviet Union was dissolved. His other Soviet crew members returned to earth on the Soyuz T-16Z, but his place was taken up by return cargo. There have been occasional Progrez supply flights to keep him going since that time. He is in good humor, but wants to come home.

In the 14-years since he has been on the station, he has accumulated flight pay and interest amounting to almost $15,000,000 American Dollars. This is held in a trust at the Lagos National Savings and Trust Association. If we can obtain access to this money, we can place a down payment with the Russian Space Authorities for a Soyuz return flight to bring him back to Earth. I am told this will cost $ 3,000,000 American Dollars. In order to access the his trust fund we need your assistance.

Consequently, my colleagues and I are willing to transfer the total amount to your account or subsequent disbursement, since we as civil servants are prohibited by the Code of Conduct Bureau (Civil Service Laws) from opening and/ or operating foreign accounts in our names.Needless to say, the trust reposed on you at this juncture is enormous. In return, we have agreed to offer you 20 percent of the transferred sum, while 10 percent shall be set aside for incidental expenses (internal and external) between the parties in the course of the transaction. You will be mandated to remit the balance 70 percent to other accounts in due course.
Kindly expedite action as we are behind schedule to enable us include downpayment in this financial quarter.

Please acknowledge the receipt of this message via my direct number

234 (0) XXXXXXXXXXXX only.

Yours Sincerely,

Dr. Bakare Tunde

Astronautics Project Manager

tip@nasrda.gov.ng

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image credit: chrisspurgeons