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Date Posted: 10:28:47 04/24/04 Sat
Author: Felix
Subject: Residents warned of Nigeria scam

Residents warned of Nigeria scam

By Casey Krautkramer
For the Journal


After confiscating merchandise worth up to $20,000, the Wood County Sheriff's Department warns residents to be wary of Nigeria-based scams.

Officers made door-to-door contacts with four people between the ages of 23 and 28, in Auburndale, Marshfield, Nekoosa and Wisconsin Rapids, seizing between $15,000 and $20,000 in merchandise, said Deputy Sheriff Dean Berres.

United Parcel Service of America contacted the Wood County Sheriff's Department about the scam two weeks ago, and again this week.

The Wood County residents were contacted through Internet chat rooms by people who promised them thousands, and in some cases, millions of dollars if they'd be willing to help.
"At this point, we are still in the process of determining whether we wish to classify these people as victims or as players in a larger fraud scheme," said Lt. Bob Levendoske.
Authorities didn't release the names of those involved.

Over the next two weeks, investigators plan to talk to lawyers in the district attorney's office to determine whether to charge the Wood County residents, Levendoske said.
"It is seen as a money-making proposition for the local participants, and that's why we are trying to make this public and tell people that this is a fraud," he said.

"And if you are a participant in it, you may face legal action. Any time you get involved in financial transactions over the Internet, you have to be extremely aware of who you're dealing with. Because it's a vast arena of potential criminal activity."
The scammers, who authorities think are from Nigeria, buy items such as clothing and electronics with fraudulent credit card numbers, and then send the items to homeowners. The mailing labels use fake names, Berres said.

The participants then received large boxes with a UPS mailing stickers and are asked to fill them with 100 pounds of items and ship them to Nigeria. Initially, scam artists ask people to send a couple of items.

"It's a test to see if people will help them out," Berres said. "After they do that, then they'll ask that large amounts be sent."
An Auburndale man came across the sweet-sounding deal while visiting business chat rooms, Berres said. Nigerians promised him $28 million if he helped them. Scam artists require people to send them fees and fraudulently purchased items in boxes.

For their help, Nigerians send residents fake cashiers checks, Berres said.

The Auburndale man has lost $6,000 over the past six months in paying Nigerians fees, and he could be charged with possession of stolen property and forced to pay an additional $3,000.

"It's sad," Berres said, as he was surrounded by confiscated items in the Sheriff's Department's office at City Hall Plaza in Marshfield. "After dealing with individuals, it makes you sad that people can be taken by this."
People need to use common sense, said Mark Goss, Wood County Sheriff's Department investigator.

"If it sounds too good to be true, it's probably true," he said. "And that's why you don't trust people you don't know. Don't be giving money to them and expecting money back."
Officers at the Marshfield Police Department have seen Internet scams grow over the past two to three years, said Police Chief Joe Stroik. Police have encountered an array of problems with the Internet, from reports of people purchasing items on e-bay and discovering the seller didn't actually own the item, to the Nigerian scam.
"I suggest people be skeptical all the time," he said. "Do your research and conduct background searches on people as much as possible. Folks need to know people can say anything they want on the Internet, and you don't know necessarily if it's true or false."

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