May 15, 2007

NEWS: Nigerian Treos Came from Scam

Police in Parsons, Kansas, have been stumped lately by the appearance of some fourteen Palm Treos that had been charged fraudulently to the accounts of consumers in many other states, apparently by Nigerian scammers. The Treos (a type of cell phone that has a camera and can be used for e-mail and web surfing), which retail for over $400 apiece, were found on the doorstep of a home in Parsons, bearing the names, billing addresses, and credit card details of identity theft victims. It seems that the phones were pending pickup to be sent along to Nigeria, where scammers were likely awaiting the fruits of their fraud scheme.

Police became aware of the bizarre situation when a woman contacted them, saying that her identity had been stolen, and that an unknown party had charged a Treo in her name and had it shipped to Parsons. When police staked out the address, they found the other thirteen devices, which were still boxed up. Experts say that the scam type perfectly matches that of Nigerian fraud rings, which have drop-off points prearranged for later shipment out of the country. Authorities are frustrated, because federal investigators won’t touch the cases unless they involve over $100,000 in stolen goods. Scam artists such as those in Nigeria are aware that virtually no-one can police them, and happily carry on their crimes, right under local authorities’ noses.

The Nigerian scams are linked to the internet, where scammers will spend hours and hours trying to convince hapless victims that they need a place to have their goods shipped to, and conniving people to get in by agreeing to purchase goods on their behalf.


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