Posted by Mail & Gaurdian on
Nigeria's anti-graft agency said Friday it has returned $4,5-million dollars to a Chinese old woman who was victim of an advance fee fraud perpetrated over a five-year period.
Nigeria's anti-graft agency said Friday it has returned $4,5-million dollars to a Chinese old woman who was victim of an advance fee fraud perpetrated over a five-year period.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) said in a statement the money was handed back to 86-year-old Juliana Ching in Hong Kong on September 26, 2005 after it was recovered from a criminal gang.
"The culprits have confessed to the crime and repaid the entire sum," it said.
The commission said the suspects will be prosecuted for advance fee fraud, today known beyond Nigeria's borders as the "419 scam" because of a Nigerian judicial reference to such practices, after thorough investigation.
Hundreds of unsuspecting foreigners are fleeced every year by Nigerian fraudsters who promise them dubious business opportunities, often by e-mail, followed by impostures that persuade the unwary to cough up large sums in hopes of making far more. - Sapa-AFP