Letters claiming to come from a Hong Kong-based director of one of the mainland's biggest banks are trying to lure victims into a cash scam with the promise of a share in a fictitious US$12.2 million fortune.
Personalised letters sent by post to people in the United States and Britain are signed Wei Ding Xiang, who falsely claims to be a director of the private banking arm of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) in Hong Kong.
He tells recipients he is handling the estate of a Westerner who died in an accident in mainland China, leaving no will and with no next of kin - but a US$12.2 million fortune which would revert to the Chinese state unless claimed.
The letters say the dead man shares the same unusual surname as the people targeted in the scam, creating an opportunity for an illicit transaction that would make the addressee and the fictitious banker wealthy.
'What I propose is that since I have exclusive access to the file, you will be made the beneficiary of these funds,' the letter says. 'Through my covert efforts, my bank will contact you, informing [you] that money has been assigned to you.
'For your troubles, I propose that we split the money in half. In banking circles this happens all the time. The other option is that the money will revert back to the state. Nobody is getting hurt; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us.'