Spam Kills

["Richard M. Smith" <rms () computerbytesman com>]

http://www.theregister.com/2007/04/10/nigerian_murder_trial/
 

Trial in 419-related murder under way
Nigerian scam claims another life
By Dan Goodin in San Francisco 
Published Tuesday 10th April 2007 19:21 GMT

Nigerian 419 scams have bilked untold billions of dollars from people who
have more hope than sense. A trial underway in the US will detail how one
scheme claimed the life of a Tennessee minister whose wife is accused of
gunning him down after it came to light she fell victim to Nigerian-style
swindlers.

Mary Carol Winkler, who according to news accounts is 33, stands accused of
first degree murder. Her husband, Matthew, was found dead of a single wound
from a 12-gauge shotgun blast suffered while he lay sleeping. Earlier in the
evening, the two had argued about the dire state of their family finances,
according to news reports from the Associated Press and other outlets.

A day before the murder, the Winklers' bank notified them they had fallen
prey to an advance fee fraud in which she deposited $17,500 in fraudulent
checks into family accounts. Prosecutors say Mary was at fault in the scam.
She likely fell victim to a variety of the scam that uses religious angles
to gain a victim's confidence. (Attorneys for Mary say Matthew was aware of
the deposited checks and say their client is not guilty. They have stressed
the couple's argument involved other disagreements as well.) Additionally,
Mary is reported to have had a weakness for online gambling.

Such scams are frequently dubbed Nigerian or 419 because they are said to
have originated in that country, where article 419 of the Nigerian criminal
code prohibits such activities. Since the early 1990s, criminals in many
other countries have adopted the technique.

Last year alone, 419 scams resulted in losses of $790 million in the US and
530 million pounds (about $712 million US), according to some estimates.
According to a report by Caslon Analytics, the US Department of State says
at least 25 tourist murders or disappearances have been directly linked to
the scam after traveling to destinations where they were sent.

A minister with a church in Selmer, Tennessee, Matthew was found dead in
March, 2006. Jury selection in Mary's trial began on Monday. She remains
free on $750,000 bond. R


_______________________________________________
Fun and Misc security discussion for OT posts.
https://linuxbox.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/funsec
Note: funsec is a public and open mailing list.