Susan Shabangu

Ms Susan Shabangu - The Facts, The Fiction and The Scam

1. The Facts

Susan Shabangu is (at time of writing) the Deputy Minister of Safety and Security in South Africa. She was born February 1956, a widow, educated in Soweto. Her political carreer started in 1980 and is also Vice-Chairperson of the National Labour and Development Institute, and Member of the African National Congress (ANC) Steering Committee. [profile]

2. The Fiction

The main scammer format uses Susan's government position and public profile to give credibility to the scam. The favourite scam is the classic "Dead husband fortune".

After his death, I discovered that he had some funds in a dollar account which amounted to the sum of US$7.5M with a security and finance institution in South Africa which I will divulge information to you when I get your full consent and support to go for a change of beneficiary and subsequent transfer of the funds into you a comfortable and conducive account of your choice.

Naturally, anybody receiving a letter from Susan is not actually getting a communication from the real Susan Shabangu.

3. The Scam

The classic "Dead Husband" scam operates much like this:

Trunk boxes of cash and/or valuables are stuck in a security company either in South Africa or the Netherlands. You will be needed to sign over ownership of the boxes to enable their movement into your care.

You will be expected to sign documents, and of course to pay fees to the security company, lawyers, etc.

The trunk boxes will apparently get moved between countries, maybe from South Africa to the Netherlands, or maybe even the United Kingdom. In every case, of course, the trunk boxes stuffed with dollars and valuables does not exist. It's simply an excuse to get you to pay fees.

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