Email scammer jailed for 5 years

[rob_au]

A Sydney man has been sentenced to more than five years in jail for defrauding millions of dollars in an international email scam.

Nick Marinellis pleaded guilty to 11 charges relating to what was known as the West African or Nigerian email scam.

The Sydney District Court was told Marinellis was the mastermind of an operation which defrauded people around the world by promising lucrative business contracts, lottery wins or inheritance payouts if people first sent money for expenses.

From http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...1/s1236927.htm - According to Sydney Morning Herald (http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/...781322257.html), Marinellis reaped more than $5 million from those taken in by these scams, including a Saudi Arabian sheik, a Malaysian property developer and ordinary Australians.

[unhappysoul]

Originally posted by rob_au
From http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...1/s1236927.htm - According to Sydney Morning Herald (http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/...781322257.html), Marinellis reaped more than $5 million from those taken in by these scams, including a Saudi Arabian sheik, a Malaysian property developer and ordinary Australians.

5 years in jail for scaming $5 million dollars....


$1 million per 1 year jail term... Still lot better than my

yearly salary.....

[rob_au]

Originally posted by unhappysoul
5 years in jail for scaming $5 million dollars....

$1 million per 1 year jail term... Still lot better than my

yearly salary.....

What is not quoted in the above articles is that many of the assets of Nick Marinellis have been seized for incorporation into a compensation fund for victims.

[stonebow]

Originally posted by rob_au
From http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...1/s1236927.htm - According to Sydney Morning Herald (http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/...781322257.html), Marinellis reaped more than $5 million from those taken in by these scams, including a Saudi Arabian sheik, a Malaysian property developer and ordinary Australians.

I'm sure many of these scams originate from many other countries as well, but Nigeria always takes the blame

[redmyrlin]

What I don't really understand is why people fall for such scams. Is it being too trusting, too greedy, or just plain stupid?

[xbot]

Originally posted by redmyrlin
What I don't really understand is why people fall for such scams. Is it being too trusting, too greedy, or just plain stupid?

Too trusting, stupid, and uninformed. Kind of like the dryer situation I heard of awhile ago. Someone was selling a 'solar powered dryer' on eBay for $20. Tons of people bought it (multiple item auction). When they received the package after sending the payment, people were angered to find a cloths pin and a small box of rope. Someone sued him, but it failed because it really was a solar powered dryer!

[dantheman]

That's a good one Xbot!

People from every walks of life fall for these scams. Not just your regular guy off the street. Doctors, lawyers, I. C. and as mentionned above, Sheiks too!

Glad to hear as Rob_au stated, part of the stolen moneys will be given back to those who were robbed from. Now that's good news!!!

[redmyrlin]

Originally posted by xbot
...Someone was selling a 'solar powered dryer' on eBay for $20. Tons of people bought it (multiple item auction). When they received the package after sending the payment, people were angered to find a cloths pin and a small box of rope. Someone sued him, but it failed because it really was a solar powered dryer!

Good story!
I presume the seller didn't post any pictures then?

Caveat emptor!

[xbot]

Originally posted by redmyrlin
Good story!
I presume the seller didn't post any pictures then?

Caveat emptor!

He did not. However, I still do think someone could do that again and thousands would fall for it. "Solar powered dryer for $20? I'll take it!"

I should try it. It might actually be illegal now, but I'm not sure. It would be a nice idea though (300 people buy; I get $6000; pay $20 for materials). Anyone else have any ideas for something similar?

[robert@fm]

Originally posted by stonebow
I'm sure many of these scams originate from many other countries as well, but Nigeria always takes the blame

It's like the way vacuum cleaners are usually called "hoovers" regardless of make; the "I need your bank details to help me steal millions from my government" type of scam is called the "Nigerian scam" (or "419 scam" after the relevant section of the Nigerian criminal code) regardless of actual country of (apparent) origin, because that's where such scams started.

[xmailer]

Originally posted by xbot
Too trusting, stupid, and uninformed.

Although many, if not most, true "confidence schemes" also exploit the "natural" human greed of their victims, which is one reason some victims are reputed not to report having been taken in, since, as suggested in robert@fm's above "paraphrase" ("I need your bank details to help me steal millions from my government"), they're left with some concerns about the "implications" of their own "involvement".

In fact, I wouldn't even say that victims are necessarily particularly stupid in many cases, although trusting and uninformed/naive might generally apply.

[fmnewbee]

A nice talking young lady phoned her adn asked if she could send over a free "Soup" which she promised should be free and easy to stop the next if she didn't like them. The next one and the next one and the next one should be paid unless you stopped them.

The problem is that how do you stop them from coming?

They don't answer your phone calls!

So they send her and ask her to pay and if she don't pay they will force her using the law they abuse.

so my neighbour need to go through a long legal procedure to get her money back but they wil lgo into bancrupsy and there will be no money left to send back and in the meantime they send out new Soups and she has to pay cause the law is set up that way.

The Law Makers are to oslow in closing the loop holes they let these scam people abuse. it is a shame really.

Trew

[rob_au]

Originally posted by robert@fm
It's like the way vacuum cleaners are usually called "hoovers" regardless of make; the "I need your bank details to help me steal millions from my government" type of scam is called the "Nigerian scam" (or "419 scam" after the relevant section of the Nigerian criminal code) regardless of actual country of (apparent) origin, because that's where such scams started.

Actually, that's not quite true ... This scam actually dates back long before the Internet where the transmission modality of these spurious invitations was postal letter. The earliest reference to this type of advance fee fraud of which I am aware of dates to the 1920's where it was referred to as "The Spanish Prisoner" fraud, wherein businessmen were contacted by someone trying to smuggle the scion of a wealthy family out of a prison in Spain. In return for their assistance, there would be a treasure of rewards showered upon the businessman, but of course, the requirement for yet another bribe and yet another rescue attempt, would be never-ending.

The "Nigerian 419" scam is simply the re-incarnation of another, much older scam perpetrated upon the ignorant and greedy.

[jlnt]

My belief on this topic is them email spammers/scammers should be put to life in prison no bond.

The court systems are being way to easy on them spammers.

TO ALL SPAMMERS:

IF I EVER BECOME A COP YOU CAN BET ON GOING TO JAIL!!!

You need to get a life, and move somewhere that the internet is not available. If your urged to send out all of the junk mail deffently get off the net.

[xmailer]

Originally posted by jlnt
My belief on this topic is them email spammers/scammers should be put to life in prison no bond.

The court systems are being way to easy on them spammers.

TO ALL SPAMMERS:

IF I EVER BECOME A COP YOU CAN BET ON GOING TO JAIL!!!

You need to get a life, and move somewhere that the internet is not available. If your urged to send out all of the junk mail deffently get off the net.

While I think life in prison might be at least a little extreme, I would certainly like to see more prosecutions for such crimes, or even attempted ones, with severe enough penalties to have some chance of acting as a deterrent.

But while it may risk slipping into "political" discussion here in violation of forum rules, one of the practical problems with requiring too extreme sentences is that it may reduce any possible incentive for restitution, for example, which could therefore conceivably cause more harm to the victims, at least in some cases. In fact, one of the problems with advocating overly-extreme penalties for crimes in general is that, in so doing, often the larger potential social/societal ramifications are ignored.

But I'm not sure we should continue this particular line of discussion here, lest we risk violating the rules of this forum, if in fact that line hasn't already been crossed.