New Zealand's Ministry of Consumer Affairs has issued a warning about what it calls the latest Nigerian letter scam - an email offering millions of dollars linked to the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, it was reported.
  
The email claims to be from his widow Suha Arafat in which she asks for assistance with transferring $US20 million from a "secret account".
  
The ministry's general manager Liz MacPherson told Wellington's Dominion Post the media had speculated recently whether Arafat had left a hidden fortune and scam emailers were quick to capitalise on such high-profile international events.
  
"It illustrates how topical Nigerian letter scam operators can be," she said.
  
The email scams are known worldwide as Nigerian letters because of the huge number sent which claim to have offer recipients the prospect of millions of dollars from various accounts held in the African country.
  
MacPherson said consumers should not respond to the email, even in jest, because doing so indicates the operators have found a genuine email address and will guarantee the letters keep coming.
  
She said anyone indicating interest would be asked to pay a "processing fee" of tens of thousands of dollars or euros before "funds can be lodged in your bank account".
  
She added: "That's the last you'll see of your money or the promised share of millions of dollars. The best advice I can give is ignore any scam letter or email you get."