Whoops - you think she would have figured it out by now
You would think that the
419 scams have been so publicized that nobody in their right mind would fall for one these days.
Well... Meet Jalaine Noella Holtan. From the Rochester, MN.
Post-Bulletin:
Rochester woman caught up in Nigerian scam
A Rochester woman, allegedly caught up in a Nigerian scam operation, now faces criminal charges for stealing from her employer to send advance payments to the scam artists in order to get a promised $10 million.
Jalaine Noella Holtan, 53, 1313 Marion Road S.E., No. 20, is charged with one count of felony theft. A summons has been issued for her to be in Olmsted District Court on Nov. 17.
Police were called July 10 by the area manager for Casey's General Store after learning from the bank that several deposit bags had not been deposited from one of the stores.
The complaint said Holtan told the manager that she had kept the cash because she owed people money. She said she took about $10,000 to $15,000.
Holtan later told police she had been investing for several years. Holtan said she got an e-mail in early July from an attorney named Morgan Smith, who said Holtan is to receive $10 million from investments she had made in diamonds and oil in Nigeria.
Diplomats from Nigeria allegedly were in Rochester in June with the money, but they needed a "certificate" to transfer the money to her. Holtan told police the diplomats needed her to front the money to them to pay for the "certificate."
I wonder if the Nigerian internet caf� gets a kickback from the patrons running these scams. We just got one at the store -- excellent if quirky English and an engaging story.
Posted by DaveH at October 21, 2008 8:59 PM