Nigerian Scheme Foiled in Warren, OH

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American companies have learned the hard lesson before, do not ship to Nigeria without prepayment. It is a common scam to place orders and not pay for them. Nigerian scammers must then find middle men in the United States to order the goods in an attempt to circumvent the security procedures put in place by American companies.

The latest scam was foiled in Warren, OH when police received information from the San Francisco Police Department that a resident received a shipment of computer parts worth over $18,000 and never returned payment. The tip was sent on April 24 by detective Lt. Gary Vingle after he was notified by Townsend Networks that a shipment sent to the southwest side of Warren on April 16.

The unnamed middleman posed as a worker for 3M corporation equipped with a fake 3M website. He placed the order for five computer routers and five multi-part ethernet switches via e-mail. The boxes containing the computer parts were still sealed and placed in a box ready to ship to Nigeria. However, the Warren man did not send the boxes because he did not receive payment for his services only a cash advance of $900 for shipping. Western Union forms indicated the name of the scammer was John Knoll, but police feel that lead is dead.

The Warren resident is not being charged. The police indicated he is being extremely cooperative and they consider him a victim. The man did not loose any money but feels embarrassed by the ordeal.