Locals lose thousands falling for common scams: Just as bad, the overseas con men can’t be prosecuted
With local victims losing thousands of dollars to overseas scam artists in the past two weeks, law enforcement officials are issuing a warning for merchants and private citizens to beware that the chances of recovering such money is practically zero.
“You’ve heard it before, but if it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” said District Attorney General Dale Potter. “We’re getting several reports of thousands of dollars being lost to scams, and there are many others who we believe have been taken who are ashamed to report it. The problem is a lot of this is offshore and we can’t prosecute it.”
In one recent case involving a McMinnville man, an Internet chat room friend convinced the victim to cash a check for her in America, saying checks could not be cashed in Nigeria. The victim reportedly received a cashier’s check from his chat friend and went to a local businessman who cashed the check. The unwitting man then wired the money to his chat partner, only to later find out the cashier’s check she had sent him was bogus.
“We have confirmed that transfer went to a Nigerian source and, after fees and such, the perpetrator cleared around $3,200,” Potter said. “That means the businessman is left holding the bag unless he decides to sue the man who brought him the check.”
Potter said a local woman narrowly avoided falling for a similar scam which could have cost her up to $52,000. In that case, the woman was contacted by a Nigerian man who claimed he needed her assistance in cashing a check so his wife could get a kidney transplant. Fortunately, Potter said, the woman had temporarily held her money before sending it overseas, long enough to discover the check the man had sent her was worthless.
In another scam, a county resident is holding the bag for around $8,000 in a Canadian scam involving the sale of a car. According to prosecutors, the local man was contacted by a buyer for his car. The purported buyer sent a cashier’s check for the car along with money for shipment of the car. The man included $8,000 extra to cover the cost and asked the local man to send back extra money. The man complied, sending $8,000 from his own account, only to find out a few days later the cashier’s checks were worthless and that he had been conned.
According to Potter, the only safe way to do such business is to wait until the checks clear before sending any money.
“It may take five or 10 days for a check to clear, but that patience may just save some folks thousands of dollars,” Potter said.
Recent scams
• A local businessman lost $3,200 cashing a bogus cashier’s check.
• A man trying to sell his car lost $8,000 sending back money for a cashier’s check written for well over the necessary amount.
• A woman nearly sent $52,000 to a Nigerian man for a kidney transplant.