Dutch police arrest 52 in e-mail scam raids
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AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands (Reuters) -- Amsterdam police said Thursday they had arrested 52 people in the Dutch capital in connection with an e-mail scam designed to defraud people in several countries with get-rich-quick schemes.
Police said the group was suspected of sending about 100,000 e-mail messages to addresses in Japan and the United States.
The e-mails claim to be from a well-known individual or the individual's relative and promise the recipient money for help in transferring frozen funds to an accessible place.
In such scams -- made famous by West African criminals -- the victim is usually asked to pay hefty sums for airfares or other expenses.
"It is surprising that despite repeated reports about this people continue to be so naive as to take part in these proposals," the police statement said.
A police spokesman declined to say whether those arrested were Dutch citizens or foreign nationals.
The suspects were seized in raids on 23 locations around Amsterdam, along with a number of personal computers, mobile phones, false documents and a total of $62,340 in cash.
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