Woman out $400K to 'Nigerian scam' con artists

Found on Katu on Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Browse Pranks

Spears fell victim to the "Nigerian scam," which is familiar to almost anyone who has ever had an e-mail account.

All you need to do is send X-amount of dollars to pay some fees and all that cash will suddenly land in your checking account, putting you on Easy Street. By the way, please send the funds though an untraceable wire service.

They sent official-looking documents and certificates from the Bank of Nigeria and even from the United Nations. Her payment was "guaranteed."

When Spears began to doubt the scam, she got letters from the President of Nigeria, FBI Director Mueller, and President Bush. Terrorists could get the money if she did not help, Bush's letter said.

An undercover investigator who worked on the case said greed helped blind Spears to the reality of the situation, which he called the worst example of the scam he's ever seen.

There's really not much one can say without totally insulting her intelligence. The only bad part is that she also ruined the life of her husband and not just her own.