Posted by News.gov.hk on
Hong Kong has successfully prosecuted its first Nigerian email scammer.
Hong Kong has successfully prosecuted its first Nigerian email scammer. A 30-year-old Nigerian man was jailed four years today for a US$26 million scam, in which he was convicted at the District Court of attempting to obtain property by deception and possession of a false travel document.
Last March, emails were spammed to a large number of recipients telling them that after the death of an African official, a US$26 million fund left unattended was in Hong Kong pending transfer via a local bank account to a foreign one.
The case was reported to Police on April 29, and arrangements were made to hold a meeting in a Wan Chai hotel on May 14 between the swindler and two undercover officers.
After he demanded an administration fee of US$24,000, the swindler was arrested, and two fake passports and three forged rubber stamps were found in his Yuen Long residence.
Police reminded web users to beware of email fraud.
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