Coppers fear this might be the tip of the iceberg because victims fail to report incidents and some of the cash might be wired through other countries.
Detective Superintendent Brian Hay, part of the Queensland Police fraud squad, said Australians sent about $2.3 million a month to Nigeria, at least 80 per cent of which was fraud related.
He said that New South Wales people seemed to be the biggest victim group in Oz, quite why is another matter.
Hay got on the blower to 139 people who had sent money to Nigeria and found 135 were fraud victims. One romance victim lost more than $21,000 and a business invested about $5.3 million in a fictitious oil pipeline.
.png&h=140&w=231&c=1&s=0)
.png&w=100&c=1&s=0)
Digital NSW 2025 Showcase
_(1).jpg&h=140&w=231&c=1&s=0)
