Australian SCAM VICTIM

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Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 1:53 am

A WEST Australian single mother is out of pocket by nearly $9000 after being ripped off by Nigerian internet scammers who impersonated the state's consumer fraud regulator.

The woman, who did not want to be named, was conned into transferring the money overseas with the promise of a $US250,000 ($A278,000) windfall from the Nigerian government.

The hoaxers used fake emails from WA ScamNet, eBay, PayPal and the Nigerian Police, Customs and Central Bank in the elaborate sting.

WA ScamNet is the fraud advisory arm of the WA Department of Consumer and Employment Protection (DOCEP), which profiles scams targeting local consumers and businesses.

Consumer Protection Commissioner Anne Driscoll said the victim was targeted after selling a $250 portable PlayStation on eBay last month.

A bogus buyer made an offer, but asked for the item to be shipped to Nigeria, claiming to have transferred the funds via PayPal.

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* State logo used in Nigerian email scam The Australian, 11 hours ago
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The seller received a fake email from PayPal confirming the funds had been deposited, and was then asked by the scammers to pay additional shipping costs and duty.

Fake Nigerian Customs forms and phony PayPal emails again `confirmed' payment.

Suspecting a scam, the victim contacted WA ScamNet, which advised her to break off contact with the fraudsters.

But after forwarding the email to the scammers themselves, they sent her fake emails with WA ScamNet and WA government logos, advising her to co-operate with Nigerian authorities.

She then received a phony eBay email saying the case had been reported to the Nigerian police, who had arrested the fraudster.

Later, a fake police email told her the Nigerian president had awarded her $US250,000 ($A279,485) in compensation.

But there was a catch.

A false document from the Nigerian Central Bank said the woman had to pay a transfer fee of about $US7000 ($A7800) before the money could be released.

After losing about $8700, the victim went to the WA ScamNet offices in Perth and was told she'd been conned.
``I felt violated,'' the woman said in an interview supplied by DOCEP.

''(I) just can't believe that people could do this.

``When I actually said over time that I can't afford this, I'm a single parent, well they would come back with, 'Go get a loan.'

``It was nearly $9000 with all the fees.

``If I go on eBay again, I'm not selling anything to overseas.

``This was our first time - and it's my last time.''

Ms Driscoll said it was very concerning that overseas scammers were impersonating official bodies.

``This was a particularly alarming scenario where scammers have actually impersonated the WA regulator,'' she said.

``The thing to remember is that no overseas organisation is going to pay you a large amount of money for nothing - especially the Nigerian government.

``If you need assurance that you're talking, emailing the correct regulator or bank or secure online transaction point, make sure you're logged directly to the legitimate site.

`Don't trust a link that's sent to you by somebody you don't know.'

http://www.perthnow.com.au/business/wa-mum-loses-9000-to-nigerian-internet-scammer-impersonating-wa-regulator/story-e6frg2qc-1225866143233
`'

Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 2:24 am

linky

Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 5:12 am

Oh. Always bad to hear they're succesful. Sick bastards.
Thanks for the link.

And yet, some people still thinks only stupid people fall for scam Evil or Very Mad

Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 7:38 am

Well there does seem to be an element of stupidity here. She suspected a scam, asked for official advice, ignored it, then fell for a bigger scam..

Quote:

Suspecting a scam, the victim contacted WA ScamNet, which advised her to break off contact with the fraudsters.

But after forwarding the email to the scammers themselves

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 10 May 2010 Posts: 5

Sort of a double scam there almost like she was baited. If you think of some of the baits here, if someone had pulled off that twist we'd be cheering.

Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 1:15 pm

I saw this article in the 'Westie' in the pub in Perth today and risked life and limb by surreptitiously tearing it out to post up here. I'm pleased to see I was beaten to it.

Here is the linky to Govt. of Western Australia [W.A. ScamNet] - Dept. of Commerce -website...

http://www.docep.wa.gov.au/consumerprotection/scamnet/content/pages/full_list.html

which has an A-Z of common scams.

Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 8:35 pm

Overland wrote:

Sort of a double scam there

A recovery scam in effect, despite the fact that she hadn't lost anything to the original scam.

Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 4:51 am

Well the good thing is that she is only out $9k. I just hate to think that some asshole is sitting out there enjoying the unearned.

They should have their testicles clipped and burned so that they cannot contaminate the rest of the gene pool.....

Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 10:49 pm

^^^^agree

very sad story indeed

however, check what happened to

Nelson Sakaguchi

his story should make it to Hollywood