Man loses £130,000 in online scam - paid for "mother's medical expenses"

[muriel_volestrangler]

You have to feel a lot more sorry for this guy than the average victim of a Nigerian scam - he thought he was helping someone.

A MAN was cheated out of more than £130,000 when he fell for a woman in an internet chatroom – who turned out to be a Nigerian conman.
...
Mr Symington told police he was first contacted by a woman in Nigeria via an internet chatroom in the summer of 2007.

The pair struck up a friendship and continued e-mailing each other. She then began asking for money to help her sick mother, which he sent over.

The 'woman' then claimed her mother had died and she needed cash to pay for her funeral, which he agreed to.

Mr Symington then received e-mails claiming to be from the FBI, saying the woman was in fact a Nigerian man who had been lying to obtain money.

The supposed FBI agents then said they would take on his case if he paid them. This went on for months before it transpired it was another con.

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/newshome/Web-scam-nets-thousands-for.4879766.jp

[Supply Side Jesus]

1. Chop the dollar!

As they say, Chop the dollar. Poor man thought he was just doing a good thing.

[Selatius]

2. Didn't he stop to think at one point? nt

[Belial]

3. Hell of a lot cheaper than 50 Billion stolen here in the US..

[soothsayer]

5. $50B? It's in the trillions. $3 trillion went missing the day before 9/11

if you recall (as rummy told us on 9/10)

[Belial]

6. Was speaking of Madoff.. King of the nigerian scam artist.

[TheWraith]

7. That's a myth, actually.

The figure is $2.3 trillion over the last 50 years or so for which we no longer have records of what it was spent on.

[Stevenmarc]

4. It proves the old saying ... a fool and his money is soon parted

[dysfunctional press]

8. my sister had a diferent saying- "a fool and his money are fun to go out with."

nt