Woman out $400K to Nigerian Email Scam

[Ookii]

SWEET HOME, Ore. – Janella Spears doesn’t think she’s a sucker or an easy mark.

Besides her work as a nursing administrator, Spears – no relation to the well-known pop star – also teaches CPR and is a reverend who has married many couples. She also communicates with lightning-fast sign language with her hearing-impaired husband.

So how did this otherwise lucid, intelligent woman end up sending nearly half a million dollars to a bunch of con artists running what has to be one of the best-known Internet scams in the world?

Spears fell victim to the "Nigerian scam," which is familiar to almost anyone who has ever had an e-mail account.

The e-mail pitch is familiar to most people by now: a long-lost relative or desperate government official in a war-torn country needs to shuffle some funds around, say $10 million or $20 million, and if you could just help them out for a bit, you get to keep 10 (or 20 or 30) percent for your trouble.

All you need to do is send X-amount of dollars to pay some fees and all that cash will suddenly land in your checking account, putting you on Easy Street. By the way, please send the funds though an untraceable wire service.

By this time, not many people will fall for such an outrageous pitch, and the scam is very well-known. But it persists, and for a reason: every now and then, it works.

Spears received just such an e-mail, promising her that she’d get $20.5 million if she would only help out a long-lost relative – identified in the e-mail as J.B. Spears – with a little money up front. "That's what got me to believe it," Spears said.

It turned out to be a lot of money up front, but it started with just $100.

The scammers ran Spears through the whole program. They said President Bush and FBI Director "Robert Muller" (their spelling) were in on the deal and needed her help.

They sent official-looking documents and certificates from the Bank of Nigeria and even from the United Nations. Her payment was "guaranteed."

Then the amount she would get jumped up to $26.6 million – if she would just send $8,300. Spears sent the money.

More promises and teases of multi-millions followed, with each one dependent on her sending yet more money. Most of the missives were rife with misspellings.

When Spears began to doubt the scam, she got letters from the President of Nigeria, FBI Director Mueller, and President Bush. Terrorists could get the money if she did not help, Bush’s letter said. Spears continued to send funds. All the letters were fake, of course.

She wiped out her husband’s retirement account, mortgaged the house and took a lien out on the family car. Both were already paid for.

For more than two years, Spears sent tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Everyone she knew, including law enforcement officials, her family and bank officials, told her to stop, that it was all a scam. She persisted.

Spears said she kept sending money because the scammers kept telling her that the next payment would be the last one, that the big money was inbound. Spears said she became obsessed with getting paid.

An undercover investigator who worked on the case said greed helped blind Spears to the reality of the situation, which he called the worst example of the scam he’s ever seen.

He also said he has seen people become obsessed with the scam before. They are so desperate to recoup their losses with the big payout, they descend into a vicious cycle of sending money in hopes the false promises will turn out to be real.

Now, Spears has gone public with her story as a warning to others not to fall victim.

She hopes her story will warn others to listen to reason and avoid going down the dark tunnel of obsession that ended up costing her so much.

Spears said it would take her at least three to four years to dig out of the debt she ran up in pursuit of the non-existent pot of Nigerian gold.

http://www.katu.com/news/34292654.html

WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A THING.  WHY WOULD YOU GIVE THEM MONEY.

[Cyrrex]

People that stupid shouldn't be allowed to have money.  Score one for the Nigerian scammer dudes.

[WayAbvPar]

Hopefully she is making scat porn to help pay for her (soon to be ex) husband's retirement.

I can't fathom anyone falling for this, ESPECIALLY when everyone around them knows about it and are telling them it is a scam and they STILL PAY.

Goddamn people are stupid. I need to get in on this scam.

[Samwise]

SWEET HOME, Ore. – Janella Spears doesn’t think she’s a sucker or an easy mark.

I respectfully disagree.

[voodoolily]

I should tell her about the bridge I have for sale.

Fucking Sweet Home. A bunch of farmers and McCain/Palin supporters.

[Hawkbit]

Brother Mark Knopfler invites you to read a few of the first 125 from:

http://www.scamorama.com/

[K9]

SWEET HOME, Ore. – Janella Spears doesn’t think she’s a sucker or an easy mark.
So how did this otherwise lucid, intelligent woman end up sending nearly half a million dollars to a bunch of con artists running what has to be one of the best-known Internet scams in the world?

I'm going to go with..... greed; maybe with a hefty dash of stupidity.

[Merusk]

SWEET HOME, Ore. – Janella Spears doesn’t think she’s a sucker or an easy mark.

I respectfully disagree.

Yeah, that was my first thought as well.  Along the same lines as stupid people not realizing the limits of their own intelligence.

[Tebonas]

What did they say in Hustle? You can't scam honest people, just greedy ones.

Words to live by.

[Nerf]

"You can't con an honest man" and my favorite "You need to find someone looking to get something for nothing, and then you give them nothing for something"

[Sir T]

She isn't stupid. If she was stupid she would never have imagined the piles of cash. And calling her stupid simply separates you from her that you are some form of superior being that WOULD NEVER fall for it. Sad thing is you probably could. See the stock market. She was drawn in by small amounts at first and slowly stopping would admit to herself that she was wrong and she had already invested so much time and money... so why not a little more... and more...

Its almost a paradox that you have to have some degree of intelligence to be scammed.

"You can fool everyone some of the time. You can fool some people all the time. But you can t fool all the people all the time." - P T Barnum

"If Fate works at all its because people think that this time its not going to happen" - Dead Again

[TheWalrus]

She isn't stupid. If she was stupid she would never have imagined the piles of cash. And calling her stupid simply separates you from her that you are some form of superior being that WOULD NEVER fall for it. Sad thing is you probably could. See the stock market. She was drawn in by small amounts at first and slowly stopping would admit to herself that she was wrong and she had already invested so much time and money... so why not a little more... and more...

Its almost a paradox that you have to have some degree of intelligence to be scammed.

"You can fool everyone some of the time. You can fool some people all the time. But you can t fool all the people all the time." - P T Barnum

"If Fate works at all its because people think that this time its not going to happen" - Dead Again

That would be true except for this shit is documented as crap all over the web. Everywhere. You can't google nigeria without coming up with "Don't even open the email, you fucking idiot." There really isn't an excuse on this one anymore.

[Abagadro]

This kind of scam (The Spanish Prisoner) is over 100 years old. If you fall for it, you are a greedy dumbass. End of story.

[apocrypha]

That would be true except for this shit is documented as crap all over the web. Everywhere. You can't google nigeria without coming up with "Don't even open the email, you fucking idiot." There really isn't an excuse on this one anymore.

Yeah but that's the difference between intelligence and knowledge.

Being well educated in any particular area doesn't mean you have to be intelligent and vice versa. Being intelligent makes it more likely that you'll educate yourself about something but I also know plenty of really dumb fucks with degrees.

I actually find this story really, really sad. It reminds me a bit of someone I used to know who was unemployed, a single parent who struggled to feed herself and her kids but who spent maybe £10-20 a week on lottery scratch cards. A mixture of desperation and addiction, although she wasn't driven by greed in the same way as the scamee here.

[IainC]

That would be true except for this shit is documented as crap all over the web. Everywhere. You can't google nigeria without coming up with "Don't even open the email, you fucking idiot." There really isn't an excuse on this one anymore.

Yeah but that's the difference between intelligence and knowledge.

I agree that you aren't born with an innate knowledge of Nigerian scams but everyone around her was telling her it was a scam - the bank, the police, her friends. How dumb do you have to be to continue to ignore actual evidence from people trying to help you out?

[apocrypha]

I still don't think you can just put it down to stupidity. The article does take pains to point out that she wasn't a complete moron (nursing administrator, CPR teacher, sign language etc).

Yes, she should have taken some time to research what she was getting into, yes she should have listened to all the people around her, but her greed and the social engineering psychology of the scammers just tripped a circuit somewhere in her brain and down she spiraled into an obsessive cycle that she couldn't mentally get herself out of. She did a stupid thing but just saying it's because she was stupid is an over-simplification I feel.

[Sky]

I still don't think you can just put it down to stupidity.

Low wisdom != low intelligence.

[Sir T]

I still don't think you can just put it down to stupidity.

Low wisdom != low intelligence.

Yeah I think the difference between wisdom an intelligence does apply here

[schild]

I still don't think you can just put it down to stupidity. The article does take pains to point out that she wasn't a complete moron (nursing administrator, CPR teacher, sign language etc).

Yes, yes you can. It is stupidity. It is, in fact, the fucking definition of stupidity. She got conned. Played. Swindled. Call it whatever you want, woman is dumb as a sack of bricks.

[Cyrrex]

Yeah, what this lady did is the definition of stupid, as far as I am concerned.  People were actually telling her that it was a scam, and yet she continued to poor tons of money into it (hell, she had to go way out of her way to do so).  Stupid isn't even strong enough a word.

[Sky]

Had to look it up, but you guys are right, the definition of stupid is a bit messy. It includes both a lack of intelligence and common sense (wisdom).

I still disagree it's a lack of intelligence, as intelligent people are very good at making themselves believe things. But definitely an utter lack of wisdom, thus technically stupid.

[Nebu]

I still disagree it's a lack of intelligence, as intelligent people are very good at making themselves believe things.

I nearly commented on this, but I don't want to drag this discussion into politics.

[Numtini]

Yes, at a certain point of disclosure, can something really be considered a crime or is it more like the fortunetelling "this is done for entertainment purpose only" disclaimer?

I wonder if Americans are more prone to this. I've run into so many people who seem to think becoming filthy rich is very easy and they are just missing the trick and the lucky ones are keeping it from them. They just need to listen to join the Stonecutters or send $20 to the guy with the question marks all over him and get that government money or get that amway starter kit or whatever and the money will roll in.

We have a lot of these scams locally because the area is mostly elderly and in some cases it's happened before often more than once, but the family just refused to get power of attorney for someone because it would cause family conflict or it was too much trouble or whatever.

[Cyrrex]

See, I don't think intelligence and smarts are even very closely related.  I've seen a lot of unintelligent smart people, and plenty of intelligent unsmart people.  Being smart is all about doing what you can with whatever gifts you've been given (or haven't been).  

[Nebu]

See, I don't think intelligence and smarts are even very closely related.  I've seen a lot of unintelligent smart people, and plenty of intelligent unsmart people.  Being smart is all about doing what you can with whatever gifts you've been given (or haven't been).  

I think you're confusing smart with clever.  Smart is more about rudimentary intelligence or what we call watt power in my business, while clever is more about resourcefulness.  Some people can do very well with what little they have.

[Cyrrex]

See, I don't think intelligence and smarts are even very closely related.  I've seen a lot of unintelligent smart people, and plenty of intelligent unsmart people.  Being smart is all about doing what you can with whatever gifts you've been given (or haven't been).  

I think you're confusing smart with clever.  Smart is more about rudimentary intelligence or what we call watt power in my business, while clever is more about resourcefulness.  Some people can do very well with what little they have.

Could be (though I don't like using the word clever for this)...the point being, the two things are separable.  You can be wildly intelligent, and still be a poor decision maker.  Wisdom or lack of it, belongs in here somewhere too.

[Broughden]

Whatever. She was a stupid bitch who got fleeced. On,y bad part was she was able to have offspring and pass on her genes.....so a new generation of people to be scammed is born.

[Special J]

Another version of the story...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/nov/15/internet-usa

Despite advice from bank officials, police and even the FBI that the scheme was a ruse, Spears said she continued to send cash in the hope of a large pay-off. Even fake emails claiming to be from the President of Nigeria and US president George Bush could not dissuade her.

"I said how come you're using this non-government address? 'Oh, because our computer has a worm'," she said.

The police, bank and FBI warned her!

And how the Hell did the husband let this keep going?

[Tale]

Despite advice from bank officials, police and even the FBI that the scheme was a ruse, Spears said she continued to send cash in the hope of a large pay-off. Even fake emails claiming to be from the President of Nigeria and US president George Bush could not dissuade her.

"I said how come you're using this non-government address? 'Oh, because our computer has a worm'," she said.

The police, bank and FBI warned her!

That's quite common in these scams, apparently. I heard a radio interview with an investigator who deals with these cases, and he said despite the police telling people "you are being scammed, your money is being stolen, stop paying", the victims often keep paying. They are being promised "one last payment and all your worries will be solved", and some little spark of hope remains that it's real.

[LK]

Going with stupid assertion. This woman had a half-hour interview on the Tom Leykis show. She is fucking stupid and delusional as all hell get out. She took this seriously from Day One and never looked back.

[Special J]

Despite advice from bank officials, police and even the FBI that the scheme was a ruse, Spears said she continued to send cash in the hope of a large pay-off. Even fake emails claiming to be from the President of Nigeria and US president George Bush could not dissuade her.

"I said how come you're using this non-government address? 'Oh, because our computer has a worm'," she said.

The police, bank and FBI warned her!

That's quite common in these scams, apparently. I heard a radio interview with an investigator who deals with these cases, and he said despite the police telling people "you are being scammed, your money is being stolen, stop paying", the victims often keep paying. They are being promised "one last payment and all your worries will be solved", and some little spark of hope remains that it's real.

At that point I'm sure that deep down inside, they know they've been had, but they're in so deep they can't stand to bail.