'Nigerian' Scam Robs Central Fla. Man Of $400,000

15 Deaths Linked To Scam

POSTED: 9:27 a.m. EST November 13, 2003

UPDATED: 7:20 a.m. EST November 18, 2003

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. -- A well-known e-mail scam has cost an elderly Ormond Beach man $400,000 -- his life savings.

Rupert Sessions, 73, thought taking a chance to get part of $7 million might "be a solution to some problems." But it wound up costing him $400,000.

The so-called "Nigerian 419 scam" has been around a while, according to investigators.

Bogus letters are sent all over the Internet, asking users to put up money to facilitate the transfer of a fake "fortune" to U-S banks.

The State Department has linked at least 15 deaths to the scam, as people are lured to Nigeria in search of their money. Sessions contributed $5,000 at a time, starting two years ago. He even wound up going to the Middle East in hopes of getting his share of the cash.

Sessions took out a second mortgage on his house and asked to borrow $140,000 from his son, who went to police.

Now he says he's "worse off financially" than he was when he was 20.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

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