Pensioner 'ripped off $5m in Nigerian net scam

[YogsVR4]

You mean I'm not going to get my money?


http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/...566067718.html

An Australian pensioner managed to defraud $5 million from unsuspecting victims, including a Saudi Arabian sheik, in a global internet scam, a NSW court was told today.

The alleged Australian head of the so-called Nigerian or West African scam, Sydney resident Nick Marinellis, made a brief appearance in the Dubbo Local Court today.

The 39-year-old father of two was arrested yesterday during a raid on his Nyngan "holiday home".

Facts tendered to the court today revealed police investigations began on February 26 this year after a complaint from the Hungarian Consulate that a "Dr Nick Marinellis" had called requiring $US2,500 ($A3,560).

The scam involved the distribution of spam emails which conned people into believing they could claim millions of dollars through lottery winnings, an inheritance or a business opportunity if they first sent off money for "expenses".
Marinellis used a number of aliases, including Tim Webster and Alan Jones, to scam a Japanese national, the police statement of facts alleged.

[igor@af]

so is this the source of all the Nigerian emails I've been getting?

[Cbass]

Wow, so I guess that's the opposite of in the US, where scams, usually by their employers, rip off the pensioners, and future employee pensions.