NMF warns against scammers
2008-08-21 10:10
Johannesburg - The Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) said on Wednesday that confidence tricksters were using its name to fleece unsuspecting members of the public of their money via the internet.
"The Nelson Mandela Foundation has become aware of a scam being perpetrated in its name, and would like to warn the public thereof," it said in a statement.
The fraudsters contact their would-be victims via an online e-mail promotion informing them that they have won "NMF 46664 Certificate Award" which entitles them to a prize money of £100 000 pounds, it said.
In order to claim the prize, the scammers request them to pay an advance "administrative fee" of £450, NMF said.
The fraudsters use the name of a non-existent NMF official as the sender to make it look credible.
Mandela, South Africa's first black president, established the NMF as a charity organisation and 46664 is its innovative campaign against HIV-AIDS.