Sweet Home resident Janella Spears said she was contacted by a number of individuals claiming to be from places like Africa and Canada, all seeking small payments for various reasons, the Albany (Ore.) Democrat-Herald reported.

Spears said the e-mail requests began in August 2005 when an unidentified individual asked for $100 to help a struggling relative. After agreeing to the request, Spears began to receive an increasing amount of the monetary requests until she built up $400,000 worth of debt.

"I kept thinking it's only a couple hundred dollars. I can get it back," she said of her mind-set while accumulating the daunting financial debt.

Spears has been advised by police not to respond to any future money requests online and the Oregon resident is working with a money management group regarding her debt.

"As a reverend and an American, I just wasn't prepared for that level of dishonesty," she told the Democrat-Herald in hindsight of her victimization.