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Guy Whitey Corngood

(26,501 posts) Thu Feb 23, 2012, 04:53 PM Feb 2012

Australian woman turns tables on Nigerian scammers

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/australian-woman-turns-tables-nigerian-scammers-175755518.html

Nigerian email scams have become nearly as commonplace as the Internet itself. But one Australian woman wound up in jail after turning the tables--to the tune of $30,000--on a group of con artists.

The Courier-Mail reports that Sarah Jane Cochrane-Ramsey, 23, was employed as an "agent" in March 2010 by the Nigerians, but didn't know they were scam artists. Her "job" was to provide access to an Australian bank account opened in her name where the Nigerians could then transfer money they had received from a phony car sales website. Cochrane-Ramsey was told she could keep eight percent of the transfers.

But, then she decided to steal from the thieves themselves. According to the Courier-Mail, she received two payments, totaling $33,350, but spent most of it on herself.

If you're not familiar with the so-called Nigerian Scam, also known as the (419) scam, or Advanced Fee Fraud, here's a brief explainer: the fraud works by convincing an individual to give money and/or bank account access to a third-party in exchange for future financial rewards.

6 replies

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Australian woman turns tables on Nigerian scammers (Original Post) Guy Whitey Corngood Feb 2012 OP

I remember hearing a story on NPR- some computer experts in the US persuaded a Nigerian libinnyandia Feb 2012 #1

There was a website TlalocW Feb 2012 #2

It is this one. RebelOne Feb 2012 #5

Just like here. RC Feb 2012 #3

Scamming the scammers zipplewrath Feb 2012 #4

Wow. I just sign up their email addresses at right wing religious sites. tanyev Feb 2012 #6

libinnyandia

(1,374 posts)

1. I remember hearing a story on NPR- some computer experts in the US persuaded a Nigerian

Reply to Guy Whitey Corngood (Original post)

Thu Feb 23, 2012, 05:00 PM

Feb 2012

scammer to go to northern Nigeria to scam people coming across the border. When he finally figured things out, he thought it was Nigerians who had done it to him.

TlalocW

(15,388 posts)

2. There was a website

Reply to Guy Whitey Corngood (Original post)

Thu Feb 23, 2012, 05:07 PM

Feb 2012

Dedicated to showcasing people who had messed back with Nigerian scammers. One guy got a scammer hooked on being part of his charity to receive payment after he completed a task and kept changing the tasks due to various reasons. One even including carving some wood into something that looked like traditional African art (which when he received it, he photoshopped a phot of it to look like an African squirrel had been in it all along and had gnawed its way out destroying it). After stringing him along through a few more pointless tasks, he got the guy to perform and film, Monty Python's, "Dead Parrot," skit with a friend. The scammer eventually tried to sue the guy stringing him along (who was British), and the British guy called him and sent him letters pretending to be from Scotland Yard, making him jump through more hoops to get the money he was "owed." All the constables he was dealing with were names of the Pythons, and were often described in "official correspondence" as being, "very butch." It was a long read, but it was hilarious.

TlalocW

RebelOne

(30,947 posts)

5. It is this one.

Reply to TlalocW (Reply #2)

Thu Feb 23, 2012, 05:21 PM

Feb 2012

http://www.419eater.com

I used to be quite active at this Web site. I was able to gain access to the scammer's e-mail accounts and warrn the people they were targeting. I once contacted a man here in my area and tried to warn him, but he had already been scammed out of $900.

RC

(25,592 posts)

3. Just like here.

Reply to Guy Whitey Corngood (Original post)

Thu Feb 23, 2012, 05:08 PM

Feb 2012

If you scam the scammers, you are dealt with, while the real scammers are free to continue their elicit activities.

zipplewrath

(16,646 posts)

4. Scamming the scammers

Reply to Guy Whitey Corngood (Original post)

Thu Feb 23, 2012, 05:09 PM

Feb 2012

I thought the article would be about a scam-baiter.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/01/technology/01iht-scam.1.6428742.html?pagewanted=all

Scam-baiters turn the tables and scam the scammers. They antagonize, humiliate and frustrate scammers who think they have unwary victims. The baiters trade tips, tales and "trophies" on thriving discussion boards like those at 419eater.com, scamorama.com and aa419.org. The 419 is a reference to the section of the Nigerin penal code that addresses fraud.