Woman loses $400,000 in Nigerian e-mail scam
 

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news...emailscam.html
Woman loses $400,000 in Nigerian e-mail scam

Associated Press

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

SWEET HOME, Ore. — An Oregon woman who is out $400,000 after falling for a well-known Internet scam says she wasn’t a sucker or an easy mark.

Janella Spears of Sweet Home says she simply became curious when she received an e-mail promising her $20.5 million if she would only help out a long-lost relative identified as J.B. Spears with a little money up front.

Spears told KATU-TV about the scammers’ ability to identify her relative by name was persuasive.

“That’s what got me to believe it,” She said. “So, why wouldn’t you send over $100?”

Spears, who is a nursing administrator and CPR teacher, said she mortgaged the house and took a lien out on the family car, and ran through her husband’s retirement account.

“The retirement he was dreaming of — cruising and going around and seeing America — is pretty much gone for him right now,” she said.

She estimates it will take two years to clear the debt that accumulated in the more than two years she spent sending money to con artists.

Her family and bank officials told her it was all a scam, she said, and begged her to stop, but she persisted because she became obsessed with getting paid.

The scheme is often called the “Nigerian scam” and it’s familiar to many people with e-mail accounts. It still exists and it still works.

Spears first sent $100 through an untraceable wire service as directed by the scammers. Then, more multimillion dollar promises followed so long as she sent more money.

The scammers sent Spears official-looking documents and certificates from the Bank of Nigeria and the United Nations. President Bush and FBI Director Robert Mueller were also involved, the e-mails said, and needed her help.

They sent official-looking documents and certificates from the Bank of Nigeria and even from the United Nations, saying her payment was “guaranteed.”

But it wasn’t and now Spears is paying the price for her costly lesson.

“The hope is [other people] are not going to fall as hard as I fell,” Spears said

on the news she said it would take her about 4 years to save up that much money again.
People that are this stupid should not have that much money.

That fucking boggles my mind. I was talking to someone and I said they must work if they send enough of them out.

That`s fucking sad for that woman.With that money i could fuck on Britney Spears and angelina jolie as well...

another sucker

There is already another huge thread about this.

really sad, good to see her bank tried to stop her.

The only way this could be said is if she is legally retarded. Anyone must be to fall for "send me a little money then I'll send you a lot" scam.

wow that sucks

what a retard..

her husband is now peddling her ass on craigslist to pay back the money..lol