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Sydney 419 Scammer Jailed

Posted by timothy on from the many-pensioners-still-on-the-loose dept.

kjots writes "The ABC is reporting that the Sydney District Court has sentenced a disability pensioner to more than five years in jail for his part behind a Nigerian email scam. One down ..."

21 of 193 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting... by cfalcon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How come when they finally get busted, it's not the stereotypical sleazeball you hope for? Life would be easy if it were 1 dimensional. Oh well, still good to see crime being punished.

    1. Re:Interesting... by frovingslosh · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So he's a "disability pensioner", so what? Why assume he's not a sleazeball? Heck, I'm assuming his "disability" is a scam too.

      --
      I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
    2. Re:Interesting... by harrisben · · Score: 5, Informative

      Being on a disability pension doesn't necessarily dicatate the degree of your disability in Australia. It could be anything from having a bad back (can't do any lifting) all the way to quadraplegia (definitely can't do any lifting). I'm assuming this guy was of the 'bad back' kind.

    3. Re:Interesting... by Gonzman2000 · · Score: 5, Informative

      In Australia you can be on a disability pension for something like back pain, it doesen't have to be so severe you can't move or are really disabled in any way. This guy could be a regular joe with a back problem, so not particular care should have gone into mention of "disabiliy pensioner"

    4. Re:Interesting... by yowi · · Score: 5, Funny
      There's these 3 blokes (Yank with a broke arm, Pom on crutches, and an Aussie with a bad back) in the pub having a drink.

      The yank goes up to the bar to buy a round and the bartender says "You see that guy at the end there? Thats Jesus"
      The Yank says "Godamn if it aint, get one for him while your at it!"

      A short time later the Pom goes up to the bar and the bartender tells him about the distinguished guest.
      The Pom said "Good lord, so it is, make sure the good chap has a fresh drink will you"


      Then its the Aussies turn, same deal, Jesus up the end,
      "No shit mate" give him a pot of ya best.


      Not long after that, Jesus finishes his drinks and heads over to the 3 at the table
      "You 3 have shown generosity and kindness when obviously you have dificulties of you own, so I would like to do something for you"

      He then touches the Yank on the head and his cast falls off, arm fixed.
      He touches the Pom on the head and his legs are fixed.
      He reaches out for the Aussie who jumps up screaming

      "Dont touch me!!! I'm on compo!!"

      --
      Why don't the headlines ever read 'Psychic wins lottery'
    5. Re:Interesting... by mr_snarf · · Score: 4, Informative

      I'm an Aussie. A pom is a british person. Well, I guess only an english person, but its a slang term, could encompass all brits.

      Compo is short for compensation. I don't have any experience with it myself, but I'm assuming its like the dole but with a bit more money, since you won't ever be able to get a job.

      The dole is unemployment benefits/Social Security.

      Incase anyone is interested (like, someone from a country without proper social security), I'm on Youth Allowance. I get paid money because I'm studying and my parents don't earn enough to support me (If my parents did, then I'd have to prove my independance from them).

      Currently while I'm studying, the university costs are also paid for by the government via HECS. Basically its an interest free loan. Currently our goverment is trying to get rid of this system, not exactly sure why, probably don't want low-income earners to become educated.

      By the way, regarding compo, it makes Australian's sound like they have the laziest workforce. Infact, we don't, I think we are close to the top when it comes to workhours. In the old days Australia was considered to be workers paradise, with extremely short working days etc, certainly isn't the case now, but some people seem to think it is.

      --
      printf("Goodbye cruel world!\b\b\b\b\b\b\b\b\b\b\b\b\b\b\b\b\b\b\b\b");
  2. Here's my reply to those things by BrianGa · · Score: 5, Funny

    I modify the namea/dates/amounts/etc, and fire this off:

    Dear DR.ONORIODE BOBOLO,

    It is so good to hear from a fellow-countryman, having been raised and lived for many years in our most beautiful homeland, Nigeria. I want to send you my sincere thanks and gratitude for your kind offer of USD$25,000.000.00 (TWENTY FIVE MILLION UNITED STATE DOLLARS) for taking part in this funds transfer transaction.

    However, I am a businessman too, and I make my living transferring large sums of money from and to my friends, relatives, and business associates in Nigeria. Therefore, I know that you would agree, that in order to participate in this wonderful opportunity, I must have an advance monetary commitment from you -- a good faith gesture on your part -- in order to proceed.

    Therefore, I ask that you deposit just 10% ($2,500,000) of the $25M into my PayPal account as an indication that you truly possess the funds and are actually authorized to release them. Using the online PayPal service is a very convenient and secure way to transfer funds. All you need do is access the PayPal web site -- http://www.paypal.com -- open a PayPal account, deposit the funds into your new account, and then transfer the money into my existing account, which has already been set up to receive the $25M.

    You only need my email address, which you already have, to transfer the funds into my account. Therefore, the complete safety of your account, as well as mine, is guaranteed and insured unconditionally. You have asked that this matter be handled with the strictest confidentiality, and I will agree to that condition, provided that the transfer takes place in a reasonable period of time, say by Friday, 5 October.

    If the money has not been received by that time, I must assume that you are not making a legitimate offer, and that you might be someone other than who you say you are -- although I can tell by the exceptional language of your email, that is probably not the case. However, if that is the case, then I will be forced to embark upon a most unpleasant course of action that I would prefer not to undertake.

    Because I have so many loyal friends in the Government of Nigeria and the Military, and many close ties within the Security Service where you work, it would be quite easy to locate your office and your home, as well as learn the identities of your friends and relatives.

    I truly don't believe that you would want to jeopardize their health and well-being, and your own future. I will access my PayPal account on next Saturday to verify that your good-faith payment has been made. Once that takes place, we can move forward with the final transfer.

    I trust that you will not disappoint me in this matter, since the consequences for non-compliance could be quite severe. I look forward with great anticipation to working with you.

    Yours faithfully,

    Issa Gidada, JD, MMB,
    President & CEO
    U.S./Nigeria Funds Transfer Organization
    Beverly Hills, CA

    1. Re:Here's my reply to those things by ravenspear · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Asking them to give you money through Paypal is a bad idea. These people have a buttload of stolen credit cards and that's what they will use. Ultimately all (or almost all) of it will be charged back by the card owners and removed from your account by Paypal's fraud department.

      Don't do it. It would only result in more grief for everyone involved.

  3. Protecting the gullible? by mind21_98 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Although scammers are nasty creatures, shouldn't people know better than to send money to pay for something they supposedly won? This isn't a troll; I'm totally serious. Are people not taught common sense and critical thinking skills? In any case, I'm glad this person's going to jail.

    --
    US businesses that currently accept chip and PIN/signature
    1. Re:Protecting the gullible? by jesterzog · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Although scammers are nasty creatures, shouldn't people know better than to send money to pay for something they supposedly won? This isn't a troll; I'm totally serious. Are people not taught common sense and critical thinking skills?

      Well yeah, in an ideal world.

      There are lots of people who are just a bit thick, but to be fair there are also a lot of people out there who are incredibly desperate, probably beyond what the majority of slashdot users could conceive of, and simply aren't quite thinking straight.

      From what I understand (I'm not an expert but I've read a little), the people who these scammers appeal to often aren't the people who are simply greedy. They're the people who've been told that they need a $100,000 payment on their home within a month or they and their kids will be kicked out of the home that's been in their family for generations.

      Maybe they've been trying to save money and they're malnourished, or perhaps they're getting over an illness that cost a lot of money to treat. (Perhaps they desperately need money to treat it.) It's the same sort of thing as the loner or widower who's sitting at home feeling lonely, and after three months of happiness through online chit-chat, decides to send thousands of dollars to an internet "girlfriend" in another country so she can fly there to say hello, only to have "her" never contact him again.

      It's easy to turn around and say that people were stupid to not be careful and give away their life savings to a stranger. But at the end of the day there are still victims and the scammar's still a con artist who defrauded people and often wrecked their lives many times more than they might've been already. If you really feel as if you have have nowhere else to go and the world seems to be falling down around you, it can sometimes illogically seem reasonable to take up an offer like this against any real common sense.

      I'm not trying to suggest that everyone who responds to these things is in the same position. Some, perhaps many, probably are just greedy and/or silly, although without meeting them I wouldn't want to pinpoint who. I do think it's short-sighted to simply say that all of these people are obviously stupid, without actually looking at the situation. This is nothing against you personally, but that tends to be the general tone on slashdot and I don't think it's very fair.

  4. "disability pensioner" by Kris_J · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How disabled? If he's one of those "disabled" people that you see up on the roof fixing tiles despite a "bad back", then this is no huge surprise. If we're talking wheelchair then I officially lament how times have changed. It used to be that wheelchair-bound geeks ran the local BBS.

  5. Common sense? Critical thinking? by muntumbomoklik · · Score: 5, Funny

    You followed the election last week, didn't you?

  6. One down... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    418 to go.

  7. Re:fuzzy math by iamplasma · · Score: 4, Informative

    When calculating prison sentences, if the person has already been held on remand prior to and during trial then that time will be considered part of their punishment. While admittedly one year does seem an exceptionally long time, it's at least a possibility that he has been in remand that long, and that's why he'll be eligible for parole at that time.

  8. Always must mention when the topic of 419 comes up by ChiralSoftware · · Score: 4, Informative

    419 Eater is one of the funniest sites on the net. Check it out when you need a good laugh.

  9. Speaking of Nigerian Scam Artist by Seventh+Magpie · · Score: 5, Funny

    They even have an annual conference. Check out this site for a laugh!

  10. Greed by nate+nice · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Don't be consumed by greed. Although people taken by this scam are indeed victims, I have trouble feeling really bad for them. They thought they could get something for free, with no work, effort or percieved risk and they end up paying for it. Life teaches really hard lessons if you don't take notes before hand. Either way, you will learn these lessons. Just hope you are a good student so you don't have to be taught by example.

    --
    "If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer ..."
  11. Re:fuzzy math by Marlor · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Presumably he's already spent some time in jail while he was awaiting trial.

    He has been in jail since October 2003 (according to The Register). If there is a significant risk that an alleged criminal will flee the country, then it is standard practice to deny bail. Someone who claims to have "African Brothers" throughout the world who will help him flee probably fits this description.

    There is more information here.

  12. Re:Where's my pot by kfg · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't those people know that pots of gold are always guarded by trixy leprechauns. . .

    No, no, no. Trix are guarded by kids. Lucky Charms are guarded by leprechauns.

    KFG

  13. No no, *this* is karma whoring by blowdart · · Score: 5, Funny
    REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

    First, I must request your anonymous cowardice in this transaction. This is by virtue of its nature as being 'Top Taco'. I am sure and have confidence of your abaility and moderation points to prosecture a transaction of this great magniture.

    I am Timothy of the slashdot editoral staff review board who is interested in the distribution of moderation points and karma points in return for never pointing out duplicate posts. These points are currently trapped in an NT4.0 box. In order to commence this business we solicit your moderation to enables us to transfer into your account said karma.

    The source of this fund is as follows; during the slashdot buyout by OSTG corrupt editors setup fake usrs and awarded them insightful posts, which were grossly overrated. The present moderating team has set up a topic review panel (although as you know it is ineffective) and have identified a lot of karma poitns which are presently floating in a cardbox box underneath CmdTaco's bed.

    By virtue of my position as editor I am free to ignore any emails pointing out duplicate posts but I cannot acquire the karma points in my name. I am therefore looking for an overseas partner into whose 0wn3d windoze box we can transfer this karama, to a grand total of SDK1024 (ONE THOUSAND AND TWENTY FOUR slashdot karma). I are writing this email as I am willing to share the karma points with you, 20% for you, the account owner, 70% for us, 10% to bribe people to shut up about duplicate posts.

    Please note this transaction is 100% safe as we will use paypal and we hope to commence the transfer latest 7 banking days after the next topic which attacks Microsoft without ever reading the links in the topic.

    Please email by return your username, password, IP address, inside leg measurement and pictures of Natalie Portman, naked, petrified and covered in grits.

    I look forward to doing business with you.

    YOURS FAITHFULLY,

    Timothy

    NOTE; PLEASE QUOTE THIS REFERENCE NUMBER (KARMA/WHORE) IN ALL YOUR RESPONSES.

  14. Here's a little more info on Nick Marinellis by Lucky+Kevin · · Score: 4, Informative
    The article is a bit sketchy, he actually took over 5 Million Australian dollars from scamees including 571,302 Australian dollars from a Saudi sheik. The latter article make for interesting reading.

    One of my favourite anti-spam sites (including the name) is What's the bloody point?? I especially like bait number 8 featuring Miss Maureen Adje Charlse only surviving daughter v Norman Gorman Smith-Bidet III & Gonad McDangle.

    --
    Kevin
    "It's not the cough that carries you off, it's the coffin they carry you off in" O. Nash