Louisiana man charged in ‘Nigerian prince’ internet scam

SLIDELL, La. – Police in New Orleans have arrested a 67-year-old man after they say he helped swindle people out of thousands of dollars as a middleman in a “Nigerian prince” internet scam.

The New Orleans Advocate reports that Michael Neu, of Slidell, is facing 269 counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.

The phishing scam involves getting an email from a Nigerian official who claims the recipient has been named a beneficiary in a will and will inherit at least $1 million. The victim is then asked to send personal information which is used to con them out of their money.

Neu has allegedly participated in hundreds of scams and has wired money to co-conspirators in Nigeria.

The investigation is ongoing.

Slidell is 33 miles (53 kilometres) northeast of New Orleans.