FBI seize 419 scam emailers

By Matt Whipp

Posted on 22 Jul 2005 at 12:32

In a joint initiative by Spanish authorities and the FBI, some 310 people have been arrested in connection with a vast 'Nigerian email' lottery scam which netted some £207m in ill-gotten gains, according to reports.

The scam is thought to have duped more than 20,000 people into handing over money to the rogues, and victims have been hit from Australia to the US, as well as a number of European countries, including the UK.

Raids were made to hundreds of properties in Malaga, Spain, and masses of equipment was seized including 2,000 mobile phones, 327 computers, 165 fax machines and about £150,000 in cash.

'Anyone who has an email account which isn't protected by anti-spam software will be all too familiar with email scams which claim they have won fortunes, or offer rewards for anyone prepared to help move money from far flung countries,' said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. 'The sad fact is that these scams are still managing to fool people, and organised criminal gangs are profiting from the naivety of Internet users. These arrests represent a significant victory for the computer crime authorities, but the battle is far from over.'