Nigerians can scam YOU

A person I know recently received a Nigerian email promising a lot of money just for cashing some money orders. A bright person, she wrote back (the first mistake) that she knew all about the Nigerian scams, so don't waste her time.

The person wrote back to her insisting that his offer was legitimate, that he wasn't like the scammers you read about. He offered to prove it, and she bit (her second mistake).

He said that he needed to process a million dollars a year in United States Postal Service Money Orders, but he couldn't do it through his bank. He needed assistance in the U.S. To prove it, he said he'd mail her some money orders for her to cash, and then wire some money back through Western Union to a person he'd designate.

A few days later she received in her mail box six U.S. Postal Service Money Orders for $1000 each. He instructed her to cash them, send $5000 back to him, and keep $1000.

She took the money orders to her bank (her third mistake) where she had a checking account. The assistant manager inspected them, and gave her $6000 cash. Then she went to Western Union and sent $5000 to a person in London.

All was well for two weeks. Then the bank called to tell her that the money orders were counterfeit (and very good counterfeits at that), and that they had taken $6000 from her checking account.

Now the scammer is apologizing for getting her into trouble, and promises to make up for it. I can hardly wait to hear the next chapter in his elaborate scam. I just hope that she doesn't dig her hole deeper.