Police: Internet scammers cheat Morley woman out of $550

BENTON, Mo. -- A Morley, Mo., woman was bilked out of $550 in an Internet scam police said was run by a Nigerian and two Washington state women.

Each scam racked up between $100 and $800, with a total of more than $6,500, from various people throughout the country, according to Longview, Wash., police detective Terry Reece.

The women, Kapri Flanigan, 19, and her grandmother, Vickie Huff, 55, ran the operation for a Nigerian man Huff met on the Internet, Reece said.

Longview authorities said Flanigan admitted to her and Huff's involvement in the scam.

She had been arrested on unrelated charges but has since been released. Neither woman has been arrested in connection with the Internet scam investigation.

For each individual scam, both women would receive $20 for their work, and the rest went to the man in Nigeria, he said.

In the local case, Bethany McNeely-Graves attempted to buy a teacup Yorkie dog from LiveDeal.com, a legitimate Web site, Scott County Sheriff's Department Lt. Jerry Bledsoe said.

McNeely-Graves sent a MoneyGram to Flanigan for $550 to cover the cost of the dog and flight to St. Louis.

The two corresponded via e-mail because the seller claimed to be deaf, a release from the sheriff's department said.

Shortly after sending the MoneyGram, McNeely-Graves received an e-mail from a person claiming to be the seller's son. The son told McNeely-Graves that his mother was in an accident and died, according to the release.

McNeely-Graves reported the incident to the sheriff's department Oct. 25, who contacted the Longview police.

Longview had been investigating the scam since June, when Huff was suspected of beginning the operation, Reece said. Flanigan joined in September and would pick up the checks without knowing what the money was for, according to Reece.

"She didn't even know it was for dogs," he said.

People need to be cautious when buying goods from the Internet, Bledsoe warned.

"Do a little bit of homework before you send somebody money," he said.

He suggested researching the seller, trying to talk to past customers and even speaking with local law enforcement authorities to make sure the deal is legitimate. Red flags would include if the seller is out of the country or if they are pushy about the sale, he said.

This particular case is unique because it involved U.S. citizens conducting the scam, Bledsoe said. The Scott County Sheriff's Department receives numerous fraud complaints each week, but the suspect is typically located in another country, making it harder for local officials to charge and extradite the suspect.

No charges had been filed against either Flanigan or Huff in Longview or Scott County as of Monday. Washington charges were being reviewed, according to Reece. Bledsoe said charges in Scott County would be pursued.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127