Suspected Nigerian Internet scammer dupes an Australian woman $300,000

A Perth woman has been fleeced of $300,000 in a romance scam where conmen stole the identity of a US man and used his picture as part of an elaborate sting.

The facebook page set up as part of the scam.

Picture of a man who is battling cancer in California was used to set up a Facebook profile with an email allanmccarty.com and also name Allan McCarty with a belief that he is a Scottish interior decorator who now resides in Australia and looking for love online.
 Also another page was set up with an email address allanmccartydecor.com. both email addresses were registers with IP address from Nigeria according to Western  Australian  Police and Department of Consumer Protection investigation

The picture being used in the scam, with fraudsters claiming the man's name is Allan McCarty

“One Western Australian has sent $300,000 to overseas criminals after being convinced that she is in a relationship with ‘Allan McCarty’ who needs money for his business. There is a another victim in New South Wales, including one who sent $50,000, and another victim in Tasmania. They all thought they were romantically involved with the same person, who does not actually exist.”

Although some of the victims’ money went to the United States or Dubai, where ‘Allan McCarty’ was supposedly working, funds are understood to have been funnelled through money mule accounts to West Africa.


"The business websites in this fraud (allanmccarty.com and allanmccartydecor.com) were registered using a computer and email address in Nigeria.


"It is believed that the Nigerian Internet user or users previously posed as another fake identity called ‘Brian Scott’ using the ‘Allan MCCarty’ photos.”