Oregon Woman Loses $400,000 to Nigerian E-Mail Scam

By Hum
in Real World News

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

Hum

Posted
Posted

SWEET HOME, OR ? An Oregon woman who is out $400,000 after falling for a well-known Internet scam says she wasn't a sucker or an easy mark.

Janella Spears of Sweet Home says she simply became curious when she received an e-mail promising her $20.5 million if she would only help out a long-lost relative identified as J.B. Spears with a little money up front.

Spears told KATU-TV about the scammers' ability to identify her relative by name was persuasive.

"That's what got me to believe it," She said. "So, why wouldn't you send over $100?&quot:blink:k:

Spears, who is a nursing administrator and CPR teacher, said she mortgaged the house and took a lien out on the family car, and ran through her husband's retirement account.

"The retirement he was dreaming of ? cruising and going around and seeing America ? is pretty much gone for him right now," she said.

She estimates it will take two years to clear the debt that accumulated in the more than two years she spent sending money to con artists.

Her family and bank officials told her it was all a scam, she said, and begged her to stop, but she persisted because she became obsessed with getting paid.

The scheme is often called the "Nigerian scam" and it's familiar to many people with e-mail accounts. It still exists and it still works.

Spears first sent $100 through an untraceable wire service as directed by the scammers. Then, more multimillion dollar promises followed so long as she sent more money.

The scammers sent Spears official-looking documents and certificates from the Bank of Nigeria and the United Nations. President Bush and FBI Director Robert Mueller were also involved, the e-mails said, and needed her help.

They sent official-looking documents and certificates from the Bank of Nigeria and even from the United Nations, saying her payment was "guaranteed."

But it wasn't and now Spears is paying the price for her costly lesson.

"The hope is [other people] are not going to fall as hard as I fell," Spears said.

source

Grand Master

Quillz

Posted
Posted

A woman who "isn't a sucker" somehow managed to mortgage her house and not listen to bank managers who told her it was a scam? I think she just doesn't want to believe what an idiot she is.

Grand Master

Scirwode

Posted
Posted
A woman who "isn't a sucker" somehow managed to mortgage her house and not listen to bank managers who told her it was a scam? I think she just doesn't want to believe what an idiot she is.

Doesn't matter, she has already prove herself to be an idiot. Get rich quick schemes don't work, no matter how much you try. Now, she has to face a debt that shouldn't have been there in the first place and putting others, such as her husband, through misery when it could have been joy.

Scirwode

Veteran

White Cuban

Posted
Posted

She's trying to say it can happen to anyone i guess by that shes not an easy mark, too bad she is a damn easy mark, bah, if i would Pound my house every time i got a scam mail i'd be living in the core of the earth.

Grand Master

Lee G. Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

Wow, what a stupid woman. She was a sucker, who didn't listen to her family and bank officials telling her that it was scam? And she went so far as to mortgage the house and take a lien out on the family car? No sympathy from me either. I wonder why the family didn't try to force her to stop?

Grand Master

kombolcha

Posted
Posted
If i was her husband I would divorce her for being so damn stupid.

divorce!? i woulda killed the bitch.

and what the **** was the husband doing while the screwed with all that money and his retirement?

i have a feeling he's just as much a dumb ass as her.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • The official Funny Pictures thread

      By +Edouard · Posted

    • eSound Music 3.0.0

      By Copernic · Posted

      eSound Music 3.0.0 by Razvan Serea eSound Music is a free music streaming app that gives you access to over 150 million tracks from all genres. It allows you to search and listen to your favorite songs, create personalized playlists, and explore trending music. With an intuitive interface and smart search, discovering new artists and hits is fast and easy. You can even stream music in the background while using other apps. One of eSound’s standout features is its offline mode, letting you download and listen without internet access. eSound is widely compatible, working seamlessly across Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android, HarmonyOS, Amazon Fire devices, CarPlay, Android Auto, and more. eSound Music key features: Over 150 million tracks available Smart search for songs, artists, albums, and playlists Personalized song recommendations Continuous playback with auto-generated playlists Offline mode with song and playlist downloads Daily-updated trending charts and top songs Sleep timer to auto-stop playback High-quality audio support Customizable playlists and favorites Support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, HarmonyOS, Amazon Fire, and more Cross-device sync via account login Background playback while using other apps Download: eSound Music 64-bit | Portable | ~160.0 MB (Free, paid upgrade available) Download: ARM64 | 116.0 MB Links: eSound Music Website | Screenshot | Web Player | Other OSes Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Ford execs say they made a mistake when they replaced human engineers with AI

      By Cenata8bit · Posted

      All these CEOs got the biggest boners thinking about firing employees for AI. Turned out it was just a wet dream.
    • The Trump administration doesn't want you to use OpenAI's GPT-5.6 without its approval

      By excalpius · Posted

      And the fact that the majority of people from Poland are white European Christians while the people you are complaining about in post after post are not is just a coincidence... Every sentence in your post I am replying to is racist nonsense. None of it is actually based on any facts whatsoever. All immigrants are seeking a better life too. It's literally the only reason they would risk everything and leave their homes, families, and homeland. They are working and contributing to the economy too, as you even admit. They get the same benefits your partner did AND that YOU are eligible for as well. That is one of the key things of the EU and a mark of a civilization. That is the definition of a society where everyone is given a chance, treated equally and fairly, and is judged by the content of their character, not their different skin color or which version of ignorant superstitious nonsense their parents lied about as children. Racists around the world said the same things about the Irish and Jews and Poles (like your partner) and...every other immigrant movement over the centuries. What's your family's heritage, by the way? Were your ancestors lied about with racist fearmongering crapola by self-entitled locals the same way as you are now? If someone like that said the same things about all people from Poland, like your partner, would they be right? Or would you want them to judge your partner based on who they actually were, not where they just happened to come from?
    • The Trump administration doesn't want you to use OpenAI's GPT-5.6 without its approval

      By excalpius · Posted

      Again, this is an irrelevant attempt to attack the messenger. The truth does not require any justification.

  • Recent Achievements

    • Conversation Starter
      jessse3334 earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • Reacting Well
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Week One Done

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      508
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      196
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      153
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      72
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      65
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!