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Nigerian scammers turn on the loveless
February 5, 2008

Thousands of Australians are at risk from a relatively new online scam targeting the desperate and dateless, Queensland police say.

The state's Fraud and Corporate Crimes Group has noticed a growing number of cases of men and women being lured into online relationships by Nigerian fraudsters posing as prospective lovers.

In the latest case, Gold Coast resident Patricia (surname withheld for privacy reasons) lost $8500 when she became involved with a fraudster posing as an Australian retiree using the name "David''.

After six months developing what Patricia believed to be a loving relationship, David said he had to travel to Nigeria to sell some land, which he promised would set them up for life.

While there, he supposedly got mugged and asked Patricia to send money to help him return home.

Superintendent Brian Hay said such "romance scams'' cost their victims about $35,000 on average.

"Unfortunately, we would be talking hundreds if not thousands of victims every day across Australia,'' Supt Hay told reporters in Brisbane.

"There are masses of offenders sitting in Nigeria and other parts of the world preying on people.''

Fronting the media today to warn others of the elaborate scam, Patricia said she felt suicidal when she realised what had occurred.

"He was supposed to come back to Australia on Sunday night, but he didn't arrive,'' she said.

"That's when I thought I was scammed.''

Police are amazed at the amount of time and effort invested by the perpetrators to build online romances, with victims receiving phone calls and photos from their fake lovers.

Supt Hay said there are several obvious trigger points potential victims should be aware of.

It won't happen until they (the perpetrators) think they have the hooks in, and the first thing will always be a request for money and the money will always have to be sent in cash,'' he said.

"It will normally be preceded by a tragic event, such as a mugging, a bankruptcy, a car accident.

"One of the other triggers, of course, is Nigeria.''

Queensland's anti-fraud officers are working with their Nigerian counterparts to track down the offenders, but they fear victims like Patricia are deeply enmeshed in the fraud network.

"It's an ugly term but her name will go on a suckers' list, and they will sell that to other fraudsters in Nigeria as a commodity,'' Supt Hay said.
AAP
............................................................. Copyright © 2008. The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Copyright © 2008. The Sydney Morning Herald.