BEVERLY HILLS, December 31, (THEWILL) –Â A 67-year old American email fraudster, Michael Neu of Slidell, Louisiana, has been arrested on suspicion of scam defrauding people of thousands of dollars.
An 18-month long investigation exposed Neu who poses a ‘Nigerian prince’ on the internet and has been 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.
Neu is also accused of acting as a ‘middle man’ for a group of Nigerian scammers helping in wiring of funds.
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.
