An African man is in custody after allegedly trying to dupe a local out of 100,000 yuan.

Police from Beijing's Chaoyang district said they have detained the alleged con man, named Simu Latu, and charged him with fraud.

According to the Division of Exit and Entry Administration within the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, the elaborate swindle began in early July when a resident surnamed Li received an e-mail from the suspect.

Police said Latu claimed in the e-mail to be the president of African International, a company that he said received donations from rich people around the world.

Li was told that he was the lucky beneficiary who had been randomly chosen online and who was entitled to a $50-million prize.

Li, responded to the e-mail and passed on his phone number.

He was then told that the money could not be paid into his bank account because of international financial regulations.

Latu allegedly told him the money would have to be sent to him in cash and that, because it weighed dozens of kilograms, it must be sent as an international consignment. Li was told he would have to pay the shipping fees.

Police said Li then received a call from the suspect, who said he represented African International in China.

Li and the suspect subsequently met in the Beijing International Hotel where Li handed over the 100,000-yuan "shipping fees" and was told he would receive his package full of money in a few days.

However, Li eventually became suspicious and reported the incident to police.

"Simu Latu has admitted his fabrication of African International on the Internet and fraud. His behavior has violated China's Criminal Law and he will be judged by the municipal court," said Lin Song, an officer with the Division of Exit and Entry Administration of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

The jobless Latu, who is known to have visited China many times, was in the country on a valid tourist visa, according to Lin.

A similar fraud happened last year when a Korean resident in Beijing was duped out of 800,000 yuan.

On that occasion, the victim was told he was in line for an inheritance payable by the African Development Bank.

In July, a 74-year-old retired female flight attendant from Thailand, was duped out of 1 million yuan in a scam.