Slidell, LA — A Louisiana man was arrested in relation to the “Nigerian Prince” scam that has stolen thousands of dollars from people. The 67-year-old man, Michael Neu, now faces 269 counts of wire fraud and money laundering after being taken into custody following an 18-month in-depth investigation.
The phishing usually happens with an email that appears to be coming from a high-ranking Nigerian official asking for personal information or financial assistance to be able to obtain a purported inheritance and promises to give a share of the fortune. But after getting the money, they disappear.
It is true that most of these criminals are located in Nigeria, but many scammers are based all around the world.
“Most people laugh at the thought of falling for such a fraud, but law enforcement officials report annual losses of millions of dollars to these schemes,” the Slidell police said in a statement.
The authorities are reminding people to be more cautious when receiving suspicious calls and emails. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandal said in a released statement. “Never give out personal information over the phone, through e-mail, cash checks for other individuals, or wire large amounts of money to someone you don’t know. 99.9 percent of the time, it’s a scam.”