LONDON, June 1 (UPI) -- Britain is sending officers to West Africa to help thwart organized gangs that use scams to bilk millions of dollars from lonely people, officials said.
The gangs are especially well-organized in Nigeria and Ghana, The Times of London reported Tuesday.
Mass-market scams have been going on for years, but have escalated to include kidnappings in Britain, Belgium, Germany and Australia, the Times reported.
The gangs create fictitious online profiles of attractive men and women and send hundreds of thousands of e-mails and letters each month to people in Britain alone, said Britain's Serious Organized Crime Agency.
The scams start small by asking for money for stamps or telephone calls and work up to asking susceptible victims for large amounts.
Britain's organized crime agency is sending officers from its Anti-Kidnap and Extortion Unit to West Africa to help train police in thwarting the scams. The agency also wants online dating sites to warn of the dangers of
scams.
