Fraud victims trek to 'bank HQ' - and find a pharmacy
By Auslan Cramb, Scotland Correspondent
(Filed: 17/12/2003)

The manager of the most northerly pharmacy in mainland Britain
realised something was afoot when a couple from Italy became very
upset to learn that he was not running an international bank.

The distraught Italians were looking for bank staff who might deal
with their financial problems. Instead, they found aisles labelled
"men's toiletries" and "shampoos/ conditioners".

They had fallen for an "advance fee" fraud in which victims are
promised millions of pounds if they pay money up-front to help the
"heir to an oil well fortune" apparently trapped in Nigeria.

Some of those who paid the money and failed to receive the promised
millions in return decided to make a pilgrimage to 9 Traill Street,
Thurso, which they had been told was the headquarters of the
"Continental Trust Bank".

The bank claims to hold more than £30 billion for 70,000 clients
around the world - which would make it Britain's 10th biggest bank.

But even the most gullible travellers realised when they arrived at
Sutherland's Pharmacy that they were not looking at the head office of
an international bank.

Andrew Paterson, the shop manager, said: "The couple from Italy seemed
very upset. The police had told me that our address had been given out
in this scam, so we directed them to the local police. Another couple
came from America.

"We got the impression that the people behind this scheme looked at a
map of Britain and chose the most northerly town, on the assumption
that very few people would go there to look for the bank."

Arlen Hughes, from Wyoming, fell for the fraud after receiving an
e-mail that assured him he would receive $41 million if he paid
$57,000 (£32,000) as an initial fee. He said: "I received a phone call
from Nigeria saying that I had inherited an oil company. They were
very professional and I found a registered number in Scotland, so I
believed they were legitimate."

Det Supt Gordon Urquhart, of Highland Constabulary, said: "The address
these people were given is a bona fide operating pharmacy. The
telephone number for the alleged bank merely puts you on to another
number in London."

The Financial Services Authority said it had "no record whatsoever" of
the Continental Trust Bank.

The oil well fraud is one of a number of similar schemes by fraudsters
operating in cyber-cafes in Nigerian cities. In most cases, people in
Europe and the US are contacted and offered a share of non-existent
riches in return for details of their bank accounts, which are then
emptie
--
Martin