Thursday, February 6, 2014
Resident Out Thousands In Scam
A local resident sought the assistance of law enforcement officials Tuesday after discovering that she had been scammed out of thousands of dollars.
The victim, age 45, reported to deputies with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department that she had recently been contacted via email by an individual she believed to be an acquaintance. She said that it appeared to be from a man that she and her husband had met in California two years prior.
The email informed her that the man was working in Spain. He told her that his accountant was going to mail her a cashier’s check and asked that she wire it to Nigeria.
The victim said that on January 23 she received a check for $4,950.00. She said that she cashed the check at a bank used by a relative, then wired the money as instructed via Western Union. She wired the funds to a location in Adekoya Idris, Nigeria.
The victim told officers that she had received a second cashier’s check on Monday. She said that when she went to the same bank to cash the check, she was informed that the check had been forged and that she would be held responsible for that amount. As a result, a hold was placed on her relative’s account.
Bank officials advised the victim to file a police report and bring a copy to them. She told officers that she, too, had checked with First National Bank and Trust in Massachusetts and was also advised that the check had been forged.
The victim gave officers the second check she had received, for $8,350.00.
Investigation into the crime is continuing at the current time.
