davenerven
28 November 2005, 14:17
Victims can often be made to pay twice or even more times for their part in 419 scams. Sometimes, the damage goes even beyond the victims of a scam. It can affect their families, their friends, their firms or even the wholly innocent clients of their firms.
And one would be amazed to hear that even law firms get scammed. Incredible, but true. Please read on.
It may sound highly unlikely, but scammers even target law firms for their scams. Ann Marie Poet, a bookkeeper for a small Berkley law firm, embezzled $2.1 million from the firm's accounts between February and August, after scam organizers persuaded her to wire huge amounts of money to bank accounts in South Africa and Taiwan to expedite the transfer of money to the United States.
The scam finally ended September 4 2004, when the Olsman Mueller & James law firm was told that a $36,000 settlement check to a client had bounced. "It's unbelievable that she fell for this," said FBI Special Agent James Hoppe, who is investigating the case. "She was gullible -- gullible and had access to $2.1 million."
Poet was indicted by a federal grand jury in Detroit on 13 counts of wire fraud. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If she's convicted, she'll likely face three years in prison, federal officials said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Gorland said the law firm is the victim -- not Poet. "You can't use somebody else's money to follow one of these get-rich schemes," she said. "If you use your own money, the worst thing you will be is a fool."
However, it was a close shave for the clients of the law firm. If the firm's owners had not the funds to redress this shortfall, it would be the firm's clients who would have suffered hugely from this 419 scam.
For details of this and other cases where the VICTIM has been arrested and imprisoned, please have a look at the following links:
http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Nigerian/victim_arrests.htm
http://www.bankersonline.com/security/nigerian_embezzle.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/11/eveningnews/main525317.shtml
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Nigeria_lawFirm.htm
And one would be amazed to hear that even law firms get scammed. Incredible, but true. Please read on.
It may sound highly unlikely, but scammers even target law firms for their scams. Ann Marie Poet, a bookkeeper for a small Berkley law firm, embezzled $2.1 million from the firm's accounts between February and August, after scam organizers persuaded her to wire huge amounts of money to bank accounts in South Africa and Taiwan to expedite the transfer of money to the United States.
The scam finally ended September 4 2004, when the Olsman Mueller & James law firm was told that a $36,000 settlement check to a client had bounced. "It's unbelievable that she fell for this," said FBI Special Agent James Hoppe, who is investigating the case. "She was gullible -- gullible and had access to $2.1 million."
Poet was indicted by a federal grand jury in Detroit on 13 counts of wire fraud. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If she's convicted, she'll likely face three years in prison, federal officials said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Gorland said the law firm is the victim -- not Poet. "You can't use somebody else's money to follow one of these get-rich schemes," she said. "If you use your own money, the worst thing you will be is a fool."
However, it was a close shave for the clients of the law firm. If the firm's owners had not the funds to redress this shortfall, it would be the firm's clients who would have suffered hugely from this 419 scam.
For details of this and other cases where the VICTIM has been arrested and imprisoned, please have a look at the following links:
http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Nigerian/victim_arrests.htm
http://www.bankersonline.com/security/nigerian_embezzle.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/11/eveningnews/main525317.shtml
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Nigeria_lawFirm.htm