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African email scams target riders

22 August, 2003

Conmen are continuing to target equestrian websites with new scams where supposed buyers from West Africa contact private advertisers by email.

The latest ruses include a man from Benin offering to buy a horsebox and arranging payment through an alleged British-based "client" who owes the prospective purchaser some money. In this case, the seller received a cheque — which turned out to be counterfeit — but she had luckily not parted with her box or any money.

"The danger is that it's quite believable — people do buy these old lorries for parts. When the cheque is meant to be from Coutts and it arrives by courier, it becomes very plausible," says Kent-based seller Lesley Novis.

In another case, a man from Togo sent e-mails to a number of advertisers claiming to be looking for an Albion saddle.

Fiona Kinghorn, who received a number of e-mails, says: "I understand that they get you to send the saddle and then the payment fails. The police said it was a well-known scam."

Other communications ask for help in releasing locked funds from a UK account, a scam also known to the police and believed to be part of a large-scale money laundering fraud.

Read the full story in this week's Horse & Hound (21 August), or click here to subscribe and enjoy Horse & Hound delivered to your door every week.