Hello, I am working with an attorney over in Lago Nigeria his name isXXXXX of the redhills chambers & associates, private, commercial and real estate law firm inthe matter of chris ashley. Chris and I met on-line dating site in August 2011, we became friends and continued our relationship. When i met Chris on-line he was in Texas leaving to Nigeria to work, we been talking all this time, I must say he is quite charming and a very hard worker. As we our relatonship grew, Chris said he was attacked and passport was taken. He stated his contract Award Certificate is with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Cert. No.53923He has made me the beneficiary of his earning through the firm above. I have paid the court fees for the documents. but the bank now is requesting fee for taxes and etc.The attorney listed above has sent me all documents confirming each step that has been made. I just have some concern about this since it is so much fraud going on. Thank You,XXXXX XXXXX
Michelle,Thank you for entrusting me to answer your question. I am so sorry to inform you, but what you have described is a Nigerian romance scam. The people you are corresponding with are not who they claim to be and this entire scenario has been constructed for the sole purpose inducing you to send them money.The basic idea of these romance scams is simple: to develop a romantic relationship with someone online and then convince them to transfer money in response to a tragedy, to come visit, or some other reason. Very often these scams involve "robberies" of "theft" against the person with whom the victim is corresponding, and very often a "lawyer" then gets involved to assist in straightening the matter out--with the payment of fees, of course.These scams are almost always perpetrated from Nigeria and other west African countries where the internet crime fighting capabilities are extremely poor. See for example this article from regarding Nigerian dating scams: http://www.dangersofinternetdating.com/nigeriandatingscam.htmSee also here: http://www.watchforscams.com/nigerian-dating-scams.htmlFinally, see this warning from the Federal Trade Commission regarding this type of scam generally: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/11/onlinedating.shtmThe attorney's name, Barrrister Felix Appelbe, has also been directly linked with this scam. See here: http://www.419scam.org/emails/2010-11/10/00048559.1.htmAgain, I am so sorry to inform you but this is absolutely a scam, and you should refuse to send any further payment.Since this fraud occurred through use of the internet, an individual in your circumstance can report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (a division of the FBI that specifically handles internet fraud) at the following address: http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspxYou can also submit a claim with the Federal Trade Commission's bureau of consumer protection here: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/ I sincerely XXXX XXXX this information helps you and I wish you the best.My absolute greatest concern is that you are satisfied with the answer I provide, so please do not hesitate to contact me with follow-up questions. Also, please bear in mind that experts are not credited for unaccepted answers, so I greatly appreciate you taking the time to "click "accept" or the submit button and leave positive feedback. Finally, none of the above constitutes legal advice nor is any attorney client relationship created between us.