John Fairheart
27 October 2005, 21:35
Story Here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/3223487.stm)
Pair lose £30,000 in e-mail scam
Wednesday, 29 October, 2003, 11:37 GMT
Police in Manchester have launched an investigation after a woman and a relative lost more than £30,000 in an e-mail scam.
She was contacted by someone claiming to be the wife of the ex-president of the Philippines who wanted help collecting the family's £14.6m fortune.
A percentage of the fortune was offered to anyone who collected the money.
The woman, believing this to be true, travelled to Amsterdam with a £4,700 fee to "release" the fortune.
But, when she arrived, she was told she would need a certificate to take the money out of the country at a cost of £23,450.
Great danger
It was then that she persuaded her relative to forward £25,000 to a bank account named by the fraudsters, only to be told she needed to provide a further £126,000 to get the money.
She was also persuaded to send £351 to pay for "medicines" for the son of the person she was corresponding with, and only discovered her error when she involved the police.
A Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman said the woman had also placed herself in great danger by meeting the fraudsters in Amsterdam.
She added: "It is easy to wonder how the woman fell for this scam but a national study of this type of crime indicates the typical victim profile is a professional and well-educated person.
"These criminals are extremely calculating and are extremely plausible."
'Don't reply'
She said most victims lost about £31,000 in the fraud, adding: "As the fraudster sits composing his next e-mail at a computer he knows that most people will recognise these e-mails for what they are.
"However he also knows that if he sends enough out there is a statistical probability that a small percentage will find their way to people who will respond.
"We would advise people not to reply to any correspondence of this nature at all."
People are also advised to inform their internet service provider.
Pair lose £30,000 in e-mail scam
Wednesday, 29 October, 2003, 11:37 GMT
Police in Manchester have launched an investigation after a woman and a relative lost more than £30,000 in an e-mail scam.
She was contacted by someone claiming to be the wife of the ex-president of the Philippines who wanted help collecting the family's £14.6m fortune.
A percentage of the fortune was offered to anyone who collected the money.
The woman, believing this to be true, travelled to Amsterdam with a £4,700 fee to "release" the fortune.
But, when she arrived, she was told she would need a certificate to take the money out of the country at a cost of £23,450.
Great danger
It was then that she persuaded her relative to forward £25,000 to a bank account named by the fraudsters, only to be told she needed to provide a further £126,000 to get the money.
She was also persuaded to send £351 to pay for "medicines" for the son of the person she was corresponding with, and only discovered her error when she involved the police.
A Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman said the woman had also placed herself in great danger by meeting the fraudsters in Amsterdam.
She added: "It is easy to wonder how the woman fell for this scam but a national study of this type of crime indicates the typical victim profile is a professional and well-educated person.
"These criminals are extremely calculating and are extremely plausible."
'Don't reply'
She said most victims lost about £31,000 in the fraud, adding: "As the fraudster sits composing his next e-mail at a computer he knows that most people will recognise these e-mails for what they are.
"However he also knows that if he sends enough out there is a statistical probability that a small percentage will find their way to people who will respond.
"We would advise people not to reply to any correspondence of this nature at all."
People are also advised to inform their internet service provider.