Australian Court Sentences Nigerian Fraudster to 6 Years

An Australian court has sentenced the head of a Nigerian fraud ring to six years in prison.  It's the first conviction of this type in the province of Western Australia, but the culprits of these crimes very rarely see justice anywhere.

The man in question organised several lucrative scams from his home in Perth, ususally promising enticing returns in return for a small initial investment.  He managed to con 132 000, Australian dollars (approximately £65, 000) out of four Australians he e-mailed.

It is not yet known whether he had any victims in other countries, but he was part of a network involving both Africans and Malaysians.  It seems their network was particularly sophisticated, and produced forged documents from the International Monetary Fund to 'guarantee' their identity, as well as accomplices to take telephone calls from unwitting victims.