The Hindu : International : E-mail fraudsters arrested

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 11, 2004

International

International

E-mail fraudsters arrested

London: More than 500 suspected fraudsters have been arrested, and $500 millions of assets seized, in an international crackdown on West African `advance fee' fraud involving the City of London police. Investigators from the City fraud squad played a leading role in the swoop, which targeted the alleged kingpins behind a host of fraudulent e-mails sent en masse to gullible victims across the world. The people who have amassed millions from fraud invest it in palatial houses and motor cruisers at home. Thousands of Britons are thought to have fallen victim to `advance fee' scams, which typically consist of emails purporting to come from African royals or bank officials and offering recipients untold wealth in return for an up-front payment. Those arrested in the past month are rumoured to include Nigerian politicians, civil servants and lawyers. —

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