Sheriff warns of Internet scam

Friday, December 1, 2006 2:02 PM EST

CHARLEVOIX — A Charlevoix County citizen is sharing his story of how an Internet scam artist bilked him out of $10,000 in hopes that others will learn from his mistake.

Charlevoix County Sheriff George T. Lasater said the resident contacted his office recently reporting that he had been the victim of a scam centered around an Internet dating service purportedly located in the Republic of Ghana.

The man told officials that he met a woman through the dating service who had sent him photos of two strongboxes full of gold bricks that were to be given to the man once the couple were married. The man then complied with a request to wire the woman $10,000 ostensibly to be used to make preparations to come to the U.S. The culprits then requested another $17,000 saying that the money was needed to pay her attorney for the gold transfer. The man did not comply with the second request.

Lasater noted that the scammer sent photos of the proposed wife-to-be along with very convincing forged documents, such as passports and other documents.

The sheriff said his office has contacted the FBI and confirmed that the man had been the victim of a scam and that there is no hope regaining the man’s lost money, because there is a lack of infrastructure and enforcement in Ghana.

Lasater commended the man for coming forward with his story and warns citizen to be wary of transactions involving money being wired to foreign countries and/or to unknown people.