We’re all familiar with the spiel by now: “Good afternoon, Madam, my name is Mr. X, and I am a prince who inherited $125 million from a deceased Nigerian king. I need to you to deposit this money in your account, and you keep 10% for your trouble. I await your reply.”
(Hello money laundering…)
In a modern-day version of the “Spanish Prisoner” confidence game, the Nigerian Scam (also known as the 419 Fraud) is now a well-known con game designed to part the proverbial fool & his money. Countless websites are dedicated to trapping the scammers at their own game…and now, one Australian woman has not only trapped the scammers, she’s beaten them at their own game!
According to the Australian Associated Press, Sarah Jane Cochrane-Ramsey, 23, was employed by the Nigerians as an “agent” in March 2010 but was unaware they were scam artists. Her job was to provide an Australian bank account through which they could funnel any payments they received through their dodgy account on a popular car sales website. Cochrane-Ramsey was to keep eight per cent of all money paid into her account and forward the rest to the Nigerian scammers. However, he kept the two payments she received – totalling $33,350 – and spent most of it on herself.
The worst part of this all? It’s COCHRANE-RAMSEY, NOT THE NIGERIAN SCAMMERS, that is currently facing a prison sentence.