Scotsman scammed!

By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics and access other forums reserved for members. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today by clicking here.

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:36 pm

I've had a shufty about and can't see this posted;

Tayside Police are warning people to be on their guard after a 67-year-old man was conned out of thousands of pounds in an elaborate African letter scam.
The man, from Forgandenny, Perthshire, received a letter from a man pretending to be from Zimbabwe saying he needed help "unlocking" funds in his country.

The letter stated that his family had suffered under President Mugabe and his mother was unwell.

After an exchange of e-mails, the pensioner parted with �4,000 in cash.

It was only when he arranged to meet a "diplomat" in London and the location of the meeting was changed, that he became suspicious and alerted the police.

A spokesperson for Tayside Police said: "Advance fee fraud is a popular crime, particularly with the African criminal networks.

"There are a myriad of schemes and scams - mail, faxed and telephone promises - designed to facilitate victims parting with money.

"All involve requests to help move large sums of money with the promise of a substantial share of the cash in return."

She said individual monetary losses ranged from the low thousands, like the Perthshire pensioner, into multi-millions.

"If a victim cannot pay or refuses to pay they are worked on with series of faxes and phone calls.

"Victim, some of whom cannot afford to pay any more, at this stage, often borrow large sums from family, friends and by way of loans."

She added: "We would advise people who receive a letter, fax or e-mail like this to delete it or throw it in the bin where it deserves to be."

Taken from here;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/6900779.stm

BS

419Eater Admin Joined: 30 Sep 2003 Posts: 7469

In the area I have moved to (Warrington, UK) a guy about 1/2 mile away had just fallen for a sweetheart scam. My new neighbour is a friend of his. Apparently the victim sent the scammer �700 for various travel expenses. The "lady" he was chatting to apparently had diamonds in storage in a London bank, worth just over a million pounds. She told him that if he would fly her over to the UK from South Africa (no stranger to diamonds itself!) they would get together and share the loot 50/50.

Apparently just after sending the money, the vic received a telephone call from a male relative to say the lady had been involved in a motor car accident and needed even more cash for hospital bills. When the vic asked who the guy was calling him, he was told he was the doctor in charge of the ward his lady friend was on (and her relative?!). That was when the vic started to get suspicious and called in the cops. Why am I telling you this run-of-the-mill story? The vic is a solicitor Shocked

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:33 pm

'Plogies for the necro but I reckoned this was the bestest place for it;

Thursday 16th August

A pensioner from Edinburgh has been duped into handing over hundreds of pounds to an overseas lottery scam.
The 85-year-old woman was targeted by fraudsters who called her from abroad, claiming that she had won �1m on a Canadian lottery.

The lady was persuaded to hand over hundreds of pounds in order to claim a bogus prize.

Police have renewed their warning following similar incidents of fraud in the past.

Officers said that an elderly couple in the Scottish Borders lost their life savings after falling victim to a so-called Canadian lottery scam last year.

Victims, usually elderly, are contacted by telephone by alleged operators of a lottery, which they usually claim operates in Canada.

'Substantial amounts'

However, some have claimed to be calling from other countries, including Spain.

The caller states that the victim has won a substantial amount of money and in order to claim the prize the person is encouraged to send money for administration purposes and/or handling charges.

A spokesman from Lothian and Borders Police said: "These fraudsters think nothing of targeting elderly and vulnerable people, who are duped into handing over substantial amounts of cash in order to claim their fortune.

"It is unfortunate that people are still falling victim to this type of scam, and we would encourage people not to enter into any type of agreement where they are giving money to those offering substantial prize winnings."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/6949176.stm

B-S

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 12:41 am

So much for that tired old stereotype about Scots being thrifty! Shocked