Nigerian Scam Artists Taken For $33,000 229
smitty777 writes "An Australian woman who was being used by a group of Nigerian scam artists stole over $33,000 from the group who employed her. Her bank account was being used to funnel the cash from a dodgy internet car sales website. Irony aside, it makes one wonder how these folks ever got the nerve to go to the police with this matter. Those of you wondering, this article offers some answers to the question of why so many of these scams originate from this area."
What?!? (Score:5, Funny)
FTFA :
The car buyers who were ripped off reported the matter to police, who traced the account to Cochrane-Ramsey.
From the fucking Summary:
Irony aside, it makes one wonder how these folks ever got the nerve to go to the police with this matter.
Because they didn't.
Oy vey!
Re:Misleading summary on /.? That's unpossible! (Score:5, Funny)
Let's say a hooker keeps some of a John's payment from her pimp. Do you think the pimp would think "No, she didn't steal from me, she stole from the John"
That's a horrible analogy because the hooker was paid by the John, she didn't rob him. Couldn't you think of a car analogy? Something along the lines of "car buyers were scammed and the woman who was funneling the money didn't forward it to the scammers"? Oh, wait ... never mind /Emily Litella
Re:Another view of the reason. (Score:5, Funny)
I asked that same question of a missionary who had just come from Nigeria. His answer was that there is a culture there of "you're a clever individual if you can get the other fellow to pay for your lunch." For what it's worth...
My cats must be considered geniuses.
Re:Another view of the reason. (Score:5, Funny)
They're disqualified from the term. Geniuses don't lick their own backsides.
Re:Another view of the reason. (Score:5, Funny)
> I refuse to support the Chinese and avoid goods with Chinese components like the plague.
You're not doing a very good job of it, unless you're posting articles to Slashdot using smoke signals.
Re:Another view of the reason. (Score:5, Funny)
You have lousy cats.
Mine bring me tasty mice and birds regularly, generally missing the choicest parts (liver and breast muscles respectively).
Re:What?!? (Score:5, Funny)
We can't bust heads like we used to. But we have our ways. One trick is to tell stories that don't go anywhere. Like the time I caught the ferry to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for m'shoe. So I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt. Which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. Gimme five bees for a quarter, you'd say. Now where was I... oh yeah. The important thing was that I had an onion tied to my belt, which was the style at the time. You couldn't get white onions, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones...
Re:Misleading summary on /.? That's unpossible! (Score:5, Funny)
Whoa, we don't use terms like hooker, john, and pimp; they are not politically correct.
hooker -- sex worker
john -- extra legal customer
pimp -- executive level sex worker
Re:Hello, I am a Nigerian Prince and you're a mark (Score:5, Funny)
Well, I'm sure if this were a Hollywood movie, the plucky noble poor kid in Nigeria would teach a valuable life lesson to the middle class couple. And at the end of the movie he and his wisecracking friends would get the money to build that new pipeline for his village, the middle class couple would start voting Democrat, and the evil industrialist would have his toxic waste dumped on his head in a comical fashion.
Re:What?!? (Score:5, Funny)
wrong homeland
She needed to contact the office in Nigeria.
If she's having problems getting ahold of them, I have a contact over there, let me know and for a small fee I'll arrange to get them in touch with her.
Re:If you steal money that has been stolen .. (Score:5, Funny)
Serves her right... she was stealing from Artists!
Sure, musicians have the RIAA, moviemakers have the MPAA... but those poor Scam Artists don't have a lobbying group with high-powered lawyers protecting their interests!
Funny story... (Score:4, Funny)
The link won't load at this moment sadly, but here is an interesting story from the BBC a few years back where one guy works as a professional scambaiter. I would NOT recommend this kind of thing in general, as you end up being on the shitlist for some less than reputable people, to say the least.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3887493.stm
In short, the guy convinces the scammers that he has no money, but he can steal some expensive stuff from his employer and send it to them if they pay for shipping and give him $50. So, he convinces them he's shipping tens of thousands of dollars worth of stolen Cisco equipment, when he's really shipping them e-waste, used electronics, old monitors, broken microwave ovens, and stuff that you typically have to pay to recycle or drop off at the dump. Pretty funny actually. I think his record is $80,000 of garbage recycled for free so far, including shipping costs.
Re:Funny story... (Score:5, Funny)
> I would call that $80,000 of garbage dumped in Niagara
He's shipping to Africa, not Canada.
Re:Another view of the reason. (Score:5, Funny)
They aren't doing this to feed you. They think you suck so bad as a hunter that they are bringing you food out of pity.
Re:Hello, I am a Nigerian Prince and you're a mark (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, Africa will probably be the last 3rd world country . . . .
And, I'll bet that you are a Palin supporter. You can probably see Russia from your backyard, and all the other ignorant, inane shit that she spouted.
HINT: AFRICA IS A CONTINENT, STUPID!!!
Re:If you steal money that has been stolen .. (Score:4, Funny)
Hmm.....
Dear Nigerian Prince,
I am representing a group of 5 (five) lawyers assist business men such as yourself who have becaming victims of crime. For the initial fee of $10,000 (ten thousand dollars) I will represent you at no more cost in all your future legal problem. You can completely have a faith in this offer.
Your,
Whitey Bigshot (QC)