Local Woman Victim of Internet Scam

A borough resident apparently fell victim to a flim-flam involving Internet con men. 

Haddonfield police logged a complaint this week from a local woman who wired $700 to Nigeria in an effort to help pay the rent at a Cherry Hill apartment after responding to a Craigslist ad.  The woman, who lives in the 200 block of Peyton Avenue, told police she sent the money via Western Union on Feb. 27 to a Nigerian man. No word initially if the man claimed to be a prince, as many of these cons go.

She said she thought she was paying for the rental of an apartment in neighboring Cherry Hill. Haddonfield police advised the woman to contact the state Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Trade Commission to file a complaint and to educate herself about these types of scams on the FBI website, as well.

The victim called the next day to tell police she had, in fact, filed a complaint with the FTC and gave an officer the complaint number.

The FBI says this about the typical Nigerian scam:

“The scheme relies on convincing a willing victim, who has demonstrated a 'propensity for larceny' by responding to the invitation, to send money to the author of the letter in Nigeria in several installments of increasing amounts for a variety of reasons. While such an invitation impresses most law-abiding citizens as a laughable hoax, millions of dollars in losses are caused by these schemes annually.”

The FBI recommends these tips for avoiding a scam:

▪ If you receive a letter from Nigeria asking you to send personal or banking information, do not reply in any manner. Send the letter to the U.S. Secret Service, your local FBI office, or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. You can also register a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission’s Complaint Assistant.

▪  If you know someone who is corresponding in one of these schemes, encourage that person to contact the FBI or the U.S. Secret Service as soon as possible.

▪ Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as Nigerian or foreign government officials asking for your help in placing large sums of money in overseas bank accounts.

▪ Do not believe the promise of large sums of money for your cooperation.