Posted by Sarasota Herald Tribune, Florida on
During the past eight months, a 76-year-old woman has lost $42,000 to an e-mail scam, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
PORT CHARLOTTE -- During the past eight months, a 76-year-old woman has lost $42,000 to an e-mail scam, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
In February, the Port Charlotte resident received an e-mail that said it was from the Central Bank of Nigeria that stated she was the recipient of $630,000, the report states. However, she still needed to pay taxes and holding fees.
As directed, the woman sent $30,000 to a contact in New York and $12,000 to alleged employees of the Central Bank of Nigeria, according to the report. She sent all the payments via Western Union.
She has not received the money promised to her. The Sheriff's Office is investigating.
Payments made through Western Union are not traceable to the recipient's address, said sheriff's spokesman Bob Carpenter. Requests for payments to be made through Western Union should always raise a red flag, he said.