A Yucca Valley resident is out $15,000 after falling victim to a Nigerian scam. According to a Sheriff’s report, the victim said a friend, whom she had never met, traveled to Nigeria in 2016 and recently asked for money to get out of Nigeria. The victim received several checks, supposedly from the friend’s father, with instructions to cash the checks and then send the money to a third party. The victim sent $8,000 to the third party in November and $7,000 in October. The Sheriff’s Department reminds residents that they should be leery of any requests to deposit a check—whether it’s a personal check or cashier’s check—and then send or wire money from the check either back to the original party, or to a third person, as the checks are usually counterfeit. If you are a victim of such a scheme, contact the Sheriff’s Department.
