American, 67, posing as Nigerian prince held for email scam

A 67-year old American email fraudster has been arrested on
suspicion of involvement in a “Nigerian prince” scam that defrauded
people of thousands of dollars.

An 18-month long investigation exposed Michael Neu of Slidell,
Louisiana as the internet ‘Nigerian prince’ heavily involved in
scams, obtaining money and wiring funds.

He now faces 269 counts of wire fraud and money laundering,
according to the Slidell Police Department.

He is accused of acting as a ‘middle man’ for a group of
Nigerian scammers.

The Federal Trade Commission said the gang operated by posing as
Nigerian royalty or high-ranking officials and would persuade
victims to provide them with financial assistance or personal
information to retrieve a fictional inheritance.

“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,” Slidell police said.

Police said that their investigation is continuing, but has been
hampered by the fact that many of those accused of involvement in
the scheme live outside the U.S.

A 67-year old American email fraudster has been arrested on
suspicion of involvement in a “Nigerian prince” scam that defrauded
people of thousands of dollars.

An 18-month long investigation exposed Michael Neu of Slidell,
Louisiana as the internet ‘Nigerian prince’ heavily involved in
scams, obtaining money and wiring funds.

He now faces 269 counts of wire fraud and money laundering,
according to the Slidell Police Department.

He is accused of acting as a ‘middle man’ for a group of
Nigerian scammers.

The Federal Trade Commission said the gang operated by posing as
Nigerian royalty or high-ranking officials and would persuade
victims to provide them with financial assistance or personal
information to retrieve a fictional inheritance.

“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,” Slidell police said.

Police said that their investigation is continuing, but has been
hampered by the fact that many of those accused of involvement in
the scheme live outside the U.S.