A Fort Lauderdale couple has been charged with running a $13 million Nigerian scam using Craigslist for over a year in a rather complicated money scheme. MSNBC reports that Plenord and Sandra St. Fort were connected to the Nigerian mob.

MSNBC adds some key details to how the operation worked:

Here’s where it gets tricky – the rent to the landlord was actually money being wired to the St. Forts (through a Nigerian bank account) and other members of the scam.

“Using classified ads and Craigslist, the St. Forts would offer jobs to victims looking to work as maids. The St. Forts and the victims would agree to a monthly salary. Soon a check would arrive but in an amount far in excess of the agreed salary. The unsuspecting victim was instructed to use the remainder of the money to pay rent to a landlord and otherwise manage the home.”

Fraud is essentially any type of deceptive action taken for monetary or personal gain. Here, the action took place for over a year and took advantage of innocent victims looking for work. Fraud charges can carry both criminal and civil consequences and punishable by fines and prison time. At the time of the arrest, the couple was busy working in their home “office” producing more phony checks.

Related Resources:

  • Couple Charged in $13 Million Nigerian Scam (Capital Bay News)
  • Fraud (FindLaw)
  • Massive Debt Negotiation Scam Shut Down (FindLaw’s Common Law)
  • 4-1-9 Scams and Advance Fee Fraud (provided by Murphy & Price, LLP)
  • Fraud (provided by Muller & Sommerville, P.A.)

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