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Citigroup Banks Fall for $27 Million Nigerian Scam
Over the years, we've covered many, many Nigerian scams -- the sort where you'll get an e-mail out of the blue indicating that someone in Nigeria (or another nearby country) will wire you some amount of money if you give them your account information. Naturally, these hackers are just trying to rip you off, and we're hoping that you're wise to their game. We're horrified to learn that officials at Citibank, however, have not wised up, acting on fake letters as if they were real, and actually wiring money to a series of accounts without proper authorization.| Yes | |
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The scam was perpetrated by 37-year-old Paul Gabriel Amos, a Nigerian citizen living in Singapore. With the help of fraudulent documents, Amos asked Citibank to transfer $27 million from a Citibank account held by the National Bank of Ethiopia into 24 different accounts around the world, all of which he and fellow scammers controlled. Amos's misdeeds were thankfully detected, albeit after the transfer was complete; he was arrested when flying into Los Angeles, and is currently being held after being denied bail by a federal judge in Manhattan. If convicted, he could spend the next 30 years in jail.
As for Citibank, well, we guess its latest misstep will just be covered by taxpayer-funded bailouts! [From: The Business Insider]
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Comments
81
Subscribe to commentsMarcyshambFeb 23rd 2009 2:40PM
Citibank is so out of touch with its own customers I am not surprised that it screwed up big time with non customers and got snarled in the scam.
I have gotten a lot of scam emails from various Nigarian pitches...and deleated every one of them.
Citibank has had for years very bad accounting and recording ability with its customers. You speak to them and they can't record or remember it a month later. ITs how they say they are set up. I know as I am a customer.
floydFeb 23rd 2009 4:05PM
As an employee of Citibank, I can ensure you that we can, and do, record every call. The representative telling you that we can't, or didn't, is an indication to me that you were probably being one of "those" customers. You know, the ones that ask you to do things either illegal or just plain stupid. These are the customers that call in and say "Why did I get a late fee, I don't deserve this" Well, you got a late fee because you were (drum roll please)...LATE. These are the customers that we all laugh about at break time. These are the CUSTOMERS that have caused this financial meltdown that we are in. If all of our, and every other banks, deadbeat customers would just pay their delinquent accounts, we wouldn't need any of the taxpayers money. The taxpayers should stop being mad at the banks and start being mad at their friends that brag if they are late on a payment to the credit card company.
And by the way, I'm in the fraud department, and it looks as though the perpetrators in the article above were CAUGHT. This was probably a sting operation undertaken by the bank in association with local authorities. It happens all the time folks. Can't prosecute them if they don't pick up the money.
Shawn M.Feb 23rd 2009 2:58PM
Throw them all in jail and take back bailout money.
Trudy CranfordFeb 23rd 2009 3:21PM
If itis to good to be true then it is frauld. I still get a lot of spam like that they even use the FBI letterheads to say its ok. They are trickey. Be careful all. With our economy like it is there is going to be a lot more snakes in the grass. Report them.
NorsAmericanSep 8th 2009 11:51AM
I often forward Nigerian bank-fraud letters to the FCC, using information from their website. I have never given in to one, but I figure an accumulation of evidence may help the authorities track or prosecute them before someone does. Of course, the govt is probably overloaded with examples....
RichFeb 23rd 2009 4:44PM
Are you kidding! I went over my limit and these creeps charged me an extra $35.00 instead of letting me know as well as obsurd 28% interest. They are just more incompetent bank fools who give away money and slam the hard working fool like me. I was not aware of my mistake but mine was only $5.00 while theirs was thirty million!! Last laugh is mine.
leepinlarrFeb 23rd 2009 3:55PM
I've been getting screwwed by citi, does this mean I can bring them up on charges, for stealing the bail out money that some of there CEO's walked off with
ijeFeb 23rd 2009 4:04PM
why is the headline that he is Nigerian? there are bad and good people every where in the world
SuzanneFeb 23rd 2009 8:58PM
Because, if you read the article, he IS Nigerian.
HopeFeb 23rd 2009 4:06PM
The dumb ass CEO, Vikram Pandit, sat in front of Congress and proclaimed ... we get it. LOL. Congress should have asked all these inept, incompetent, dumb ass CEOs to put back all the millions and millions of fraudulent bonuses they received in the past because they were all based on fraud. But Paulson was so gung ho to save his Wall Street buddies that he wanted total control and no oversee of taxpayer bailout money. These SOBs didn't learn the 1st time and came back for more and Congress gave them more burdening taxpayers when these morons created the crap shit problem themselves in the 1st place but now can't clean up their crap shit ass mess. When a cc holder makes 1 late payment, they raise our interest rates and then every other card company follows suit. So why don't, we the taxpayers, have the same rights to control these morons ?????????? We, the people, need to protest in front of their homes, their offices and wherever they show up and shame them and their family members. I don't give a damn if these morons lose everything and end up on the streets.
floydFeb 23rd 2009 4:13PM
I guess you shouldn't have signed that LEGALLY BINDING CONTRACT, since you were obviously planning on making late payments. How many delinquent credit cards do you have? You're probably more of the problem than the bank is.
MadMikeFeb 23rd 2009 4:21PM
I had Citibank for my student loans. Never liked them - the online site was kind of wonky and the telephone reps were shady. I kept getting collections calls even though I had direct debit of the bills. They would call me up and threaten to ruin my credit and I would say "I have direct debit" and they would check and go "Oh yes, you did pay, but you still may receive collection calls until the other system gets updated."
Again, never liked Citibank. I paid off my loans to get rid of dealing with Citibank and THEY STILL sent me bills for stupid charges. I would call up and complain, and they would go "oh, our bad" and the next month I would get the same bill. Took 6 months for them to get their heads out of their butts.
BooOnYouFeb 23rd 2009 4:33PM
I guess Floyd doesn't have anything to say now, does he?
AndrewFeb 23rd 2009 5:28PM
re: Floyd
You're a citibank employee and you're calling customers deadbeats? In your posts, you say that customers are stupid and are causing more problems than banks.. Pathetic people like you make yourselves feel better by telling others "You signed the contract".
I'm a citibank customer with thousands of dollars in your employer's accounts - don't forget that people like me are the ones that keep you working. If you feel so bitter about the people (regardless of debt) that keep your paychecks coming in, maybe I ought to close my accounts and visit the next bank down the street.. Employees like you give your employer a bad reputation.
cadbxnyFeb 23rd 2009 4:28PM
Waaaaay to go CitiGroup -- what a bunch of schmucks !!!!! Right, the bail-out will take care of that "oops" too. Get your crap together you bunch of idiots !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CherMoeFeb 23rd 2009 4:42PM
Gee, could this be why CitiBank is having so many money problems? Poor investments, falling for scams ... mistreating and laughing at its customers. I sure as hell wouldn't do business with them. The government shouldn't do a thing for them as far as bailouts. Then maybe all of those CitiBank employees who laugh at the customers (we know all about how they manipulate things to charge bank fees and late fees) will find themselves in the unemployment line. I sure don't want my taxypayer $$$$ bailing out these loser banks so these types of "employees" can keep their cushy jobs.
AndrewFeb 23rd 2009 5:34PM
I know. Floyd up there is a perfect example of one of "those" citibank employees that laughs at their customers. Just look at how pathetic everything is that comes out of his mouth.
Daniel LovejoyFeb 23rd 2009 4:43PM
Is this why they asked for even more of the bailout money? To offset the losses incurred by fraud?
JenniferFeb 23rd 2009 5:11PM
Oh NICE! Yeah so let me put all my money into CitiBank so they can give it to one of these A**holes that fill my SPAM (keyword here) FILE on a DAILY basis. Uh, sure I'll transfer 27 mil to 50 different locations around the world......Hey Citi, wanna buy my 1996 Caddy one owner? Great deal only $36,959.00. Sweet, then I can get a new one...hehehe. Hey Obama help this bank too, heck what's another 27 Mil? Loosers!
Lizzy-ChanFeb 23rd 2009 5:16PM
citi bank sucks. I've had perfect credit all my life and now because of this economic mess they raised my APR!?! I dropped my citi bank card like a hot rock like I bet a lot of responsible customers would. Its not my fault you made stupid loans to people who you knew could not pay. Now with all your good customers leaving good luck trying to stay in business... oh yeah, you will because the government will raise my taxes to support you indefinitely... great.