Dutch police arrest 52 in email scam raids

Police have arrested 52 people in Amsterdam in connection with an email scam designed to defraud people with phony "get-rich-…

Police have arrested 52 people in Amsterdam in connection with an email scam designed to defraud people with phony "get-rich-quick" schemes.

Police said the group was suspected of sending some 100,000 email messages to addresses in Japan and the United States.

The emails claim to be from a well-known individual or the individual's relative and promise the recipient a percentage payment from a sum of up to $20 million for help in transferring frozen funds to an accessible place.

In such scams - made infamous by West African fraudsters - once the victim is hooked, he or she is then is usually asked to put up hefty sums for air fares or other pretences.

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"It is surprising that despite repeated reports about this people continue to be so naive as to take part in these proposals," the police 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 €50,000 in cash.