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PORTLAND, Ore. -- Mary Beth Meyer, 42, is a smart woman. She has two master degrees and she teaches physical science and geometry at the Washington School for the Deaf.
So imagine her surprise when she became a victim to a scheme, associated with the Nigerian scams that are so widely prevalent in the news.
It was Sunday night when she was on AOL instant messaging a friend, when her friend’s screen name popped up.
“We started chit chatting. She said you have to talk to this man, he told me I had won $70,000. “Said Meyer. “I thought what??? Are you crazy? She said no, this guy is an honest man.”
Turns out, it wasn't her friend at all. Instead it was someone posing as her friend, using her screen name.
So Meyer started talking to the guy on the other end of the screen. He told her he was working with the United States government, trying to provide funds to the deaf community from Nigeria. He told her she was eligible, but then started asking for personal information.
“He asked for my screen name and password. I was like, what? “Meyer said. So she sent an instant message to her friend, or at least the person she thought was her friend, for advice.
“I told her, this guy is asking me for my password. And my friend, Leah, said yes, do it, he’s an honest guy.”
He wasn’t.
As Meyer soon found out, he was a scam artist who had just taken $100 of her hard earned money. The same con men took thousands from her friend Leah, who was too embarrassed to talk about it.
“They are targeting a specific group, the deaf community. We rely on instant messages; we rely on the internet to communicate. We are a tight knit group.” said Meyer.
Her mother, who just moved with her daughter from Las Vegas, was furious.
“My daughter and the deaf community have to work four times as hard to be accepted into society, and to take advantage of that just makes me livid.” said Margaret Meyer.
They called the FBI, who told them this was a new scam.
Special Agent Alan Peters said it’s inclusive of a sweetheart swindlers-type scheme.
“These people gain your trust and then an emergency pops up and they need your money.” Said Agent Peters.
He says the Nigerians aren’t always Nigerians.
“They are dangerous, they’ve gotten more sophisticated, and not all of them are from Africa. There are some posing here in the United States”
Anyone who has fallen victim should contact the FBI and the state attorney general’s office.
Mary Beth is speaking out. She wants the deaf community to know this is going on.
“These people are fakes, they are crooks.” she said.
The FBI tracks Internet crimes at the Internet Crimes Complaint Center website.
