A gang of Nigerians conned some U.S. and Canadian law firms out of over $31 million in a clever scam. There's probably a lawyer joke in there somewhere, but here's what happened.
Con-man #1 contacts a law firm and engages it to collect a debt from someone. The lawyer who takes the case contacts the debtor who agrees to pay the debt. The debtor turns out to be Con-man #2, and he sends a fake check to the law firm. The lawyer calls the bank to verify that the check is good. Presumably the lawyer calls the phone number on the fake check, because the person who takes the call on behalf of the bank is Con-man #3 who assures the lawyer the check is good.
So the lawyer deposits the check in the law firm account and writes a check to Con-man #1 who promptly cashes the check and takes off for Nigeria to live the high life.
One of the Nigerians, Emmanuel Ekhator, was extradited to the U.S. a few weeks ago. Link. But whether any of the money will get returned is anybody's guess.
There now. Here's what you've been waiting for:
The two partners in a law firm were having lunch when suddenly one of them jumped up and said, "I have to go back to the office - I forgot to lock the safe!"
The other partner replied, "What are you worried about? We're both here."
Had enough? One more.
Q: How many lawyers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: You won't find a lawyer who can change a light bulb. Now, if you're looking for a lawyer to screw a light bulb...
Hello,
Thanks for all the information. I had no idea about this fraud and I feel that the people responsible for this should be punished.
Posted by: marcus evans scam | August 29, 2011 at 11:08 PM