Business

Scammer Scams Scammers: Aussie Woman Rips off Nigerian Cons, Pockets Thousands

Quick show of hands: how many Blaze readers have gotten emails from people claiming that they’re Nigerian royalty and that they want to give you a million-skrillion dollars?

If you’re like us, and we know we are, your spam box is loaded with these types of offers. But wouldn’t it be funny if once (just once!) someone turned the tables and scammed the scammer?

That’s precisely what one Australian woman did.

“A Brisbane woman fleeced Nigerian scam artists by stealing more than $30,000 from their internet car sales racket,” the Australian news outlet Courier Mail reports.

Sarah Jane Cochrane-Ramsey, 23, had been working as the Nigerian’s “agent” since March 2010.

“Her job was to provide an Australian bank account through which they could funnel any payments they received through their dodgy account on a popular car sales website,” the Courier reports.

The deal was Cochrane-Ramsey would keep eight percent of the ill-gotten goods in her account and forward the rest to the scammers.

However, instead of sticking to the plan, she kept two payments – a total of $33,350 – to herself.

Scammer Scams Scammers: Aussie Woman Rips off Nigerian Cons, Pockets ThousandsThat’s not a scam. That’s a scam… (sorry, that’s the best Australian-themed joke we could come up with on such short notice)

Unfortunately, it was money that had already been stolen so, yeah, what she did was illegal. Also, according to her court hearing (told you it was illegal), she was apparently unaware of the fact that she was stealing from con men, so that takes away from the whole “poetic justice” angle.

It didn’t take long for the car buyers who were getting ripped off to report it to the police, who quickly traced everything to Cochrane-Ramsey’s account.

“Police inquiries found her employers were based in Nigeria but had been using a web server in New York to run their dodgy car sales listings,” the Courier reports.

Cochrane-Ramsey pleaded guilty to one count of “aggravated fraud” (as opposed to what? “Laid-back” fraud?)

“Judge Terry Martin described her as having a ‘dishonest bent’ after hearing she had a history of stealing and property offenses,” the Courier reports. “He adjourned the sentence to allow her time to provide further details of money she claimed was in a bank account that would allow her to make some repayments.”

Cochrane-Ramsey will be sentenced next month. She is out on bail until then.

Comments (61)

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  • KyleD
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 2:07pm

    This story isn’t nearly as interesting as the title makes you think. This isn’t someone who was being scammed by the scammers and somehow found a way to turn the tides. This woman was working WITH the scammers, essentially she was part of the organization and instead of laundering money – which was her job – she stole it. You can equate this to a member of a mob organization who was supposed to buy diamonds with cash but instead kept the cash for herself.

    Report Post »  
    • shimauma
      Posted on February 24, 2012 at 3:42pm

      It’s still funny…remember the people who are GIVING this money to the Nigerians are also behaving like greedy bastards too, it’s all a round robin of folks trying to make quick cash.

      Report Post » shimauma  
    • FreedomPurveyor
      Posted on February 24, 2012 at 3:44pm

      The Blaze should make their motto, “If the headline matches the story, you didn’t see it on the Blaze”

      Report Post » FreedomPurveyor  
    • RJJinGadsden
      Posted on February 24, 2012 at 9:24pm

      Really, just a con conning cons. Nothing new.

      Report Post » RJJinGadsden  
    • FreedomPurveyor
      Posted on February 25, 2012 at 10:42am

      For this story on the home page, there is a picture of what is apparently a random black person (to represent Nigeria). Within the story itself, there is a picture of Crocodile Dundee (to represent Australia). I’d like to see what pictures would be on there if people from other countries were involved.

      Report Post » FreedomPurveyor  
    • mcmeador
      Posted on February 25, 2012 at 1:08pm

      Lots of the people getting scammed by Nigerians aren’t greedy. Most of them are just pathetically lonely and/or pathetically stupid. I used to work for the relay service, and it was heavily taken advantage of by Nigerians. They would call people they met on dating sites and convince them to send them money so that they could come to the U.S. and be with them. They would also call businesses and use stolen credit card numbers to buy stuff from them. For instance, they would buy $200 worth of stuff from some random business and tell them that they would arrange the freight themselves and pay for it with the credit card. Instead of paying $200 on the stolen credit card, they would pay $200 plus some made-up freight amount and ask that the overpayment be given in cash to the guy they sent to pick up the merchandise. Then they probably turned around and sold the merchandise online…either that or got a cash refund from the business they scammed.

      Report Post »  
  • cemerius
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 1:34pm

    When are we going to invade Nigeria??? They are the parasites of the internet world!!!! Aynonomus should take them down, they could be heroes of the world then!!!

    Report Post » cemerius  
  • edndsu
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 1:12pm

    am I reading this wrong or did she steal stolen money and keep it for herself? And she’s a hero somehow?

    Report Post »  
    • cemerius
      Posted on February 24, 2012 at 1:35pm

      your reading it wrong….she scammed the scammers but it was a crime all the way…..

      Report Post » cemerius  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on February 24, 2012 at 3:07pm

      The money should be returned to the people who thought they were buying a car from that website. That’s the real victims in this case.

      Report Post » The-Monk  
  • Saggar
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 12:53pm

    http://www.419eater is a web site dedicated to scamming Nigerian scammers. It’s fun to read if you have time. Some funny stories of how they make scammers looks silly.

    http://www.419eater.com/html/hall_of_shame.htm

    Report Post »  
  • rlimike
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 11:43am

    Way to go Sarah Jane Cochrane-Ramsey …

    Report Post » rlimike  
  • G-WHIZ
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 11:30am

    BHO’s uncle made a whole $10.00 last year from the scam…wow! Actually, His uncle is the one honest person in the whole family…he doesn’t ask for obamahelp ’cause he’d owe them his life, all his life. He owns his own hut which is more than WE can say about BHO’s “help” he gave to OUR country so far… how many Americans, now,can say they own their own house… . <:o]

    Report Post »  
    • AmericanStrega
      Posted on February 24, 2012 at 12:15pm

      I’ll tell ya what! When we purchased our home three years ago, it was with a local bank. We now have been informed that that loan has been bought out by GUESS WHO? A fannie and freddie lender! YEP! Our home is now owned by the freaking government! Great, just freaking GREAT! We owe $50,000 on it. Can’t see how we can drum up that amount in a few months to pay the sucker off. It just pee s me off that the freaking government holds the note on my home.

      Report Post »  
    • The Bushmaster
      Posted on February 24, 2012 at 12:20pm

      I’m pretty sure that is his brother who owns his own hut. His uncle is an illegal alien here in the US whi recently was arrested for DUI!

      Report Post »  
    • GordonPShumway
      Posted on February 25, 2012 at 9:22pm

      Does this sound familiar?………………….
      Gen 47:14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
      Gen 47:15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.
      Gen 47:16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.
      Gen 47:17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
      Gen 47:18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:
      Gen 47:19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.
      Gen 47:20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.
      Ummmm…

      Report Post » GordonPShumway  
  • RamonPreston
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 11:21am

    Why should she be forced to make restitution? We already have precidences. Xerox developed the Graphical User Interface system. Stev Jobs stole it from Xerox. Bill Gates stole it from Jobs. Nobody made restitution to Xerox.

    Report Post » RamonPreston  
  • BlackCrow
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 10:37am

    Wasn’t the underwear bomber a Nigerian? Remember the Quran gives Allah’s blessing for stealing from the infidel. A religion of thieves and child molesters!

    Report Post » BlackCrow  
    • Nervous Investor
      Posted on February 24, 2012 at 12:07pm

      not sure that u can make that link stick in the particular case tho …. there are plenty of Christian Nigerians (presently being massacred in the north of that country by Islamist Nigerians) and Animists as well as the run of the mill atheists …. whatever, the scammers are wicked (and deadly at times) ….

      Report Post »  
  • thekuligs
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 10:01am

    HEH, this happened in a book I wrote 2 years ago ;)

    Report Post » thekuligs  
  • TROONORTH
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 9:27am

    Ain’t that a kick in the billabong? As far as the Sheila is concerned – “Looksgoodnya!”

    Report Post » TROONORTH  
    • AmericanStrega
      Posted on February 24, 2012 at 12:18pm

      Yep, those cons were real Freckles, were they not? (he, he. Go ahead, look up “freckle” in Australian slang)

      Report Post »  
  • midwesthippie
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 8:32am

    …dang pesky nigerians… Obama, tell your uncle to cut that $*** out!

    Report Post » midwesthippie  
  • 1956
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 8:27am

    Quote from mayor Mark Kruzan of Bloomington” This is the stuff of conspiracy theories. To take the names of two organizations because they happen to fall in the same person‘s biography and make this giant leap is a classic example of something that would be laughable if it wasn’t so dangerous.”

    Kruzan obviously didn’t get all the facts straight before making his statement, or chose to ignore the important facts in order to downplay this… but he’s also a flaming liberal, so that might have something to do with his “opinion”. Bloomington is a cesspool of liberals wallowing in their own psuedo-intellect.

    Report Post » 1956  
  • mr.goodvibe
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 8:26am

    What, are you telling me that my long lost white great uncle in not Nigerian royalty? Bollocks!

    Report Post » mr.goodvibe  
  • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 7:58am

    This woman is no anti-fraud saint. Quite the opposite. This is a case of one criminal hiring another criminal in a common, mutual criminality swindle. The fact that one criminal turned on another is completely ancillary. In fact, this is a non-event. Criminal on criminal violence always is. I care not one whit when gang-bangers off one another. It’s only when they turn their guns on the innocent and defenseless that it becomes newsworthy.

    By way of another analogy, this would be like hearing about Bernie Madoff having gotten his car stolen by a thug. *yawn* Ho-hum.

    Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
    • littlefish
      Posted on February 24, 2012 at 9:47am

      Cons stealing from cons . . . was any of this connected to Solar panels or their financiers ?

      Report Post » littlefish  
  • HuckleberryFriend
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 7:17am

    It is crazy how widespread the culture of fraud via internet has gotten in Nigeria. Thankfully, most people have gotten wise to their obvious emails. Others have been known to have fun with the desperate little scammers, which I find highly amusing, like here:
    http://www.419eater.com/html/letters.htm

    Report Post » HuckleberryFriend  
  • drago
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 6:59am

    Kind of reminds me of one “shark” eating another…

    Report Post »  
  • IslandMama
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 6:34am

    Ok, wait a minute. The scammer who scammed the scammers is in court. But what about the original Nigerian scammers? They called the police to say their stolen money had been stolen and she has to make restitution? What?

    Report Post »  
  • dirtydog1776
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 3:37am

    It is what got Obama elected in 2008 and will get him reelected in 2012…….the something for nothing attitude.

    Sorry.

    Report Post » dirtydog1776  
    • loriann12
      Posted on February 24, 2012 at 6:35am

      Don’t apologize….the truth is the truth. I know of several people who voted for Obama the first time and won’t this time. I know of one person who still wants to vote for him, and she’s black, on SSI, rent subsidies, and all 4 of her kids have Blackberries. It IS the something for nothing attitude. Only thing is, it’s not really free, we, who pay taxes, are paying for their free ride.

      Report Post »  
  • cyclops
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 2:09am

    What amazes me if the fact people are still falling for these types of scams….The old adage, “It it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” So true so true…..The desire for a short cut to become instantly rich….

    Report Post » cyclops  
  • 83plus
    Posted on February 24, 2012 at 12:34am

    Well, winner takes all I guess. At least until they rent a room out in jail.

    Report Post »  
  • Zack Tritsch
    Posted on February 23, 2012 at 11:56pm

    Looks like somebody just got dealt poetic justice.

    Report Post »  
  • Robert-CA
    Posted on February 23, 2012 at 11:48pm

    I wish that one day someone will be able to really scam these Nigerians .

    Report Post » Robert-CA  
    • 1casawizard
      Posted on February 24, 2012 at 12:00am

      Just start makin phone calls sayin they won the florida lottery.

      Report Post » 1casawizard  
    • WeekendAtBernankes
      Posted on February 24, 2012 at 12:11am

      My friend, you need to pay a visit to “419eater”. Letters archive is what you want.

      Report Post » WeekendAtBernankes  
    • drago
      Posted on February 24, 2012 at 6:57am

      Just call the nigerians and tell them your odumboand as a fellow africaner you are selling volts, or maybe solar panels, or perhaps maybe healthcare cheap.

      Report Post »  
  • CatB
    Posted on February 23, 2012 at 11:38pm

    So she was stealing what they had stolen from unsuspecting people .. she was the middle man .. people still got scammed .. yes .. she is a crook also .. I was hoping it was one of the victims turning the table on the scammers. This is just a thief stealing from another thief.

    Report Post »  
  • TXPilot
    Posted on February 23, 2012 at 11:35pm

    Poor woman, she scammed the crooks, then got robbed by the government…..about what you would expect though…..lol

    Report Post » TXPilot  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on February 23, 2012 at 11:33pm

    Even with her illegal actions, it proves two things:

    One – no honor exists among thieves.
    two – Its funny.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
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