Nigerian scam warning issued after short-term holiday agency in Perth defrauded of $50,000

Consumer Protection Western Australia is warning tourism operators to be wary of international scammers after a Perth holiday letting agency was defrauded of more than $50,000.

David Hillyard, acting commissioner of Consumer Protection WA, told 720 ABC Perth the scammers  believed to be operating from Nigeria used stolen credit cards and a complex story about arranging a Greek wedding to obtain the money.

"It's one of these things where we find these scammers preying on people who are trying to provide good customer service," Mr Hillyard said.

"The agency involved is in the business of doing short and long-term rentals.
David Hillyard, acting commissioner of Consumer Protection WA, told 720 ABC Perth the scammers believed to be operating from Nigeria  used stolen credit cards and a complex story about arranging a Greek wedding to obtain the money.

"It's one of these things where we find these scammers preying on people who are trying to provide good customer service," Mr Hillyard said.
"The agency involved is in the business of doing short and long-term rentals.

"They were contacted by a fellow, supposedly from the UK, masquerading as Colonel Michael Warner, who was looking to book accommodation for eight people and to arrange a Greek wedding to occur in Perth."

The agency processed a number of credit card payments over a six-day period totalling more than $50,000.

They were then asked to make a number of payments to third parties on behalf of the colonel.
"He spun a yarn that the interpreter they needed for the wedding couldn't take a credit card payment so he has asked for the real estate agency to forward the funds to the translator," Mr Hillyard said.

After thousands of dollars were paid to the third parties, the agency discovered too late that the credit payments they had taken had been from stolen cards.
The bank then disallowed the credit payments, leaving the agency out of pocke