Dutch police have arrested six men after a 419 email scam conned $1.5 million out of an Australian man.
The six men, two of whom are Nigerian, are accused of extorting the money from the 49-year-old with an email that promised a business contract worth $90 million.
“We are talking about a massive fraud using marketing techniques,” claims Harry Jongkind, who heads a Dutch police operation dedicated to internet-based scams.
The scam was uncovered when the man travelled to Amsterdam to meet his supposed business partners. Finally realising that he was being ripped off, he contacted the police.
Jongkind’s unit has now made 74 arrests, a drop in the ocean compared to the Dutch police estimate of 18,000 internet fraudsters said to be operating scams such as 419 emails and fake “phishing” websites.
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