Nigerian Scammers Now Working Craigslist?
Of all the scams out there on the Internets, the Nigerian (or 419) scam is far and away the most well-known. Individuals have fallen for it and lost their entire savings, banks have fallen for it and lost millions, and even a British politician was sucked in. We're happy to help inform people about this scam so that they can avoid it, but it seems some Americans are paying attention for the wrong reason: using the scam themselves to rip off others.
Olga Domingo is a 32-year-old Californian who, according to police, may have scammed $79,000 out of 60 people using the same old trick that's become synonymous with Nigeria, by sending fake checks to people for a given amount and then tricking them into returning a real check (or wire transfer) for a smaller amount. In this case, Domingo is suspected to have gone through Craigslist listings, offered to purchase items from sellers, sent them checks for too much money and gotten refunds back. Of course, the checks she allegedly sent out were bogus, the ones she allegedly received all too real.
All told, she's accused of writing nearly $6 million in bogus checks. According to police suspicions, she wasn't working independently, either, acting as a more literate face for a group of Nigerian scammers to whom she sent a portion of her profits. The police executed a search warrant in December, arrested her last week, and she's currently being held on $586,000 bail. Let's hope it leads to further uncovering of the folks behind these hustles, as this isn't the first time this scam has been perpetrated on Craigslist. In fact, it's one of the oldest scams on the classifieds site -- we experienced a similar offer last year when trying to sell a sofa.
Still, let this be a lesson. Even if the Nigerian scammers don't want to rip you off, you still shouldn't play along. [From: Fresnobee.com, via Geek.com]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
bobpell said 11:17AM on 4-21-2009
You have to blame the Nigerian gov't for not working harder to stop this. That said, still some people get what they deserve, kinda like Madoff's clients. Greed makes the brain do funny things.
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talonmedic said 12:42PM on 4-21-2009
My wife and I had the same experience. She was already into the deal and had no idea about the scam. Before she could deposit the check I contacted the "buyer" and said I would be happy to return his certified check if he would kindly send me a US Postal Service money order instead. The email I got back was threatening and a bit illogical. The guy said he would contact the FBI and the NSA if I didnt send him the extra money back to him via western union? NSA? Really pal?
At this point I handed his check over to the local PD and forgot about it.
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Richard said 1:54PM on 4-21-2009
I have a close friend in Uganda and the ONLY people who actually have access to an internet connection are those who go to internet cafes and pay by the minute or those who work for large (European) corporations. I doubt seriously there is even a Nigerian connection but since Nigerians cannot defend themselves in the media (and if they did, who'd believe them?), they're just vilified.
We're so gullible in this country-we still buy the lone gunman theory.
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TEXAN said 2:32PM on 4-21-2009
FLASH! THE NIGERIANS HAVE INFILTRATED THE OBAMA CABINET, AND ARE NOT WORKING IN THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT DISBURSING TARP FUNDS TO BANKS AND THEIR FRIENDS. BARNEY FRANK SAYS NOT TO WORRY, THIS IS JUST A REPUBLICAN TEABAG THING, AND HARRY REID SAYS FORGET ABOUT IT, THE WAR IS LOST ANYWAY...TO WHICH NANCY PELOSI SAYS "LET THEM EAT CAKE..WHERE IS MY DAMN USAF AIRPLANE ANYWAY? I WANT TO GO TO THE 7-11 AND GET SOME TWINKIES TO FEED MY MUNCHIE ATTACK."
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RUFUS said 2:25PM on 4-21-2009
The nigerians have hacked into TWITTER and are tracking everything that is happening everywhere by everyone in the USA. All is lost. Run and hide.
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JusticeNow said 9:23PM on 8-11-2009
Scammers are not just from Nigeria. They are in most 3rd world countries that try to make a quick buck.
Two companies that come to mind are edigitalstream.com and superfreehosting.com. All from Pakistan. Their favorite targets are to scam people from US and Canada. They use fake addresses and want to claim they are in the UK.
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comrisk said 9:26PM on 8-11-2009
Scammers are not just from Nigeria. They are in most 3rd world countries that try to make a quick buck.
Two companies that come to mind are edigitalstream.com and superfreehosting.com. All from Pakistan. Their favorite targets are to scam people from US and Canada. They use fake addresses and want to claim they are in the UK.
Reply