A 67-year-old Slidell man who served as a go-between for an international team of scammers running a “Nigerian prince” email scheme has been arrested after an 18-month investigation.
Michael Neu, who is neither Nigerian nor a prince, has been charged with 269 counts of wire fraud and money laundering.
Neu helped shuttle fraudulently obtained money to his co-conspirators, some of whom actually do live in Nigeria, according to the Slidell Police Department.
The ubiquitous scheme, which begins when an email is sent to an unsuspecting recipient the scammers claim has been named as the beneficiary in a will, is designed to collect personal information that is then used to steal money and identities online.
The scheme nets millions of dollars each year, according to the SPD, and is difficult to track since many of the participants operate outside of the United States.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandal said. “Never give out personal information over the phone, through e-mail, cash checks for other individuals, or wire large amounts of money to someone you don’t know. 99.9 percent of the time, it’s a scam.”
_Abc
Source
I am happy that this miscreant has been caught and arrested. They make life truly frustrating to people everywhere. Especially those who are sincere and unsuspecting. I hope the continue to catch and arrest many more of them.
I nearly once became a victim. Someone on facebook whose profile photo was that of an old woman hooked on an oxygen tank added me as a friend, and sent me message saying I was chosen as her heir. She then instructed me to fill out some questions via email, and to send a certain amount to Nigeria. That was the time I realizedbit was but a scam. Watch out, guys!