Nigerian Scam ARTIST!!! (help)

The ways you can get in trouble are numerous. If you agree to ship goods for someone - the goods may be purchased with a stolen credit card if there are actually any real 'goods'. You are using the postal system to send stolen merchandise (a FEDERAL offense).

With money orders/cashier's checks (and I actually checked with my bank, the largest in the US) - they look on their face to be okay - however it can take TWO WEEKS for them to determine they are forged/counterfeit/stolen.

So you receive $800, as requested, you send $600 somewhere or other from your account. Now the $800 is removed by the bank/you pay fees/are fined, etc. and your $600 is gone to Nigeria or wherever. You are also now in trouble for depositing a fraudulent item.

Remember every crook in prison says they 'didn't know' or they are 'innocent' - so being innocent and/or not knowing is not an excuse that the law listens to particularly.

... and then there is the 'money laundering' FEDERAL offense if they want to go there.

While in the end you may get out of it, think in terms of legal fees and etc - and I bet you a dollar nobody from Nigeria or anywhere else will help you out of the mess.

The Paypal angle just makes it all the more quickly you can lose your money...

... and darn, those 'jobs' sound so attractive - just receiving checks, a quick trip to the bank and you get such a big percent. hahahahzzzzzzzzz

This is not to say all Nigerians are crooks. Far from it. Not to mention starvation can make people do some horrible things to survive...

Here's a conversation I had with Lynn Edgington of Eagle Research Associates, Inc. who recently did a presentation for Loyola University Law students that explains (note, this is a different case):

Paul Schlegel
9:10 PM
Lynn, I'm talking to a guy who deposited a fake check into his bank - but that's all so far. He hasn't wired money back or anything like that. Should he just tell the bank he just learned that the check was fake?
Eagle Research Associates, Inc.
9:41 PM
He needs to tell the bank, and then he needs to report it to the police, the DA and then the state AG. He also needs to report it to the Postmaster General if he received the check via the mail, which I am assuming he did; unless he got if via FedEx or UPS. If possible, he needs to get the check back from the bank, and make copies of it for law enforcement. It is possible if he does banking online, he can get a photo copy of it from his online banking, and then just download it to his computer and print it out for law enforcement. He also needs to make copies of the E-mail he received that he answered for him to receive this check. Another question that you need to ask is if he is supposed to receive any goods that he is to forward on to another address, or if he was just handling checks for a company as their transfer agent.
Paul Schlegel
9:42 PM
OK. Great. Good last question.
9:42 PM

Thanks, Lynn!
Eagle Research Associates, Inc.
9:45 PM
Not a problem. One last thing. If he is to receive any goods shipped to him that he is to ship to another address, have him refuse the shipment and have it returned back to the shipper. This keeps him from being a recipient of stolen goods.
Paul Schlegel
9:45 PM
Great.
9:45 PM

This was going to be wire transfers I believe.
9:46 PM

But that's a good thing for me to remember for other people.
9:46 PM

It was a bit frustrating - I had a hard time convincing him he was going to lose his money - but he finally believed me.
Eagle Research Associates, Inc.
9:47 PM
They both work the same way in regard to his wiring the money on to another party, but the difference is if that is all he was to do; not forward on packages.
Paul Schlegel
9:47 PM
right.
9:48 PM

One thing I didn't understand was he called the bank where the check was from and they told him it was "good" although who knows who he really called - or maybe they just have a valid routing number etc on it?
Eagle Research Associates, Inc.
9:49 PM
He can thank his lucky stars he hasn't wired the money from his bank account. He needs to know that he could still be charged with wire fraud even though all he has done is deposit the check into his bank account. That doesn't mean he would have been charged, but they could if they wanted to charge him. That's how dangerous this all is, and he is the only one they know, and where to find him.
Paul Schlegel
9:49 PM
Right.
9:49 PM

i didn't realize he could still be charged for just depositing.
9:50 PM

He already said he was getting scared. That's gonna freak him out completely.
Eagle Research Associates, Inc.
9:50 PM
He has received a bogus check, and was cashing it. That is stealing, and depending on the dollar amount of the check will depend on which degree of felony it is.
Paul Schlegel
9:51 PM
OK. Interesting. I didn't know that.
9:52 PM

I"ve had at least one person on my list go to jail - i think for reshipping.
Eagle Research Associates, Inc.
9:52 PM
He would be classed as an accomplice in an illegal act to defraud a bank. Since the party who issued him the check is not a real entity that can be traced, he is the one they arrest.
Paul Schlegel
9:53 PM
OK. That makes sense.
Eagle Research Associates, Inc.
9:54 PM
By his not wiring the funds, he has reduced the charges they could bring against him. As I said, I doubt if they would, but they could if they wanted to do so. Just like the dollar amount of the check, what his role is also plays a part in what charges they might bring. That is why this is so scary and people have no clue they are committing fraud, wire fraud, and also could be charged with money laundering.
Paul Schlegel
9:55 PM
Yeh.
9:55 PM

Thanks, again
Eagle Research Associates, Inc.
9:56 PM
If he wants to talk with me, he is more than welcome to do so.
Paul Schlegel
9:56 PM
Yeh. I did give him your site and mentioned that.
9:56 PM

I told him to tell you that I sent him.
Eagle Research Associates, Inc.
9:57 PM
No contact yet, but not sure how much time it has been since you told him about us. I'll be sure to let you know if he does.
Paul Schlegel
9:57 PM
Yep.
9:58 PM

ok. i'm going to write-up an email for him now.
9:58 PM

thanks.
Eagle Research Associates, Inc.
9:59 PM
My pleasure.

Here's a video the USPTO puts out about how you can be arrested for
partcipating in a reshipping scam even if you are unaware that what
you're doing is illegal: