The Associated Press
DANBURY, Conn. (AP) -- A Bethel, Conn. woman, fed up with suspicious e-mail pitches promising millions, is taking credit for helping catch a Canadian man accused of fraud.
Like many other e-mail recipients, Heide Evans received numerous messages purporting to be from Nigeria and promising millions of dollars.
But unlike others who delete the e-mails, Evans said she led the U.S. Secret Service and Bethel police to Nicholas Horvath-Howard, 24, of Toronto, who met her hoping to receive a reward.
“Over several months I managed to convince them I was gullible enough to go along with them, and surprise of surprises, they were stupid enough to send a messenger to see me to collect the money,” Evans told The News-Times of Danbury.
Evans met Horvath-Howard in Bethel, where she said he expected to pick up more than $200,000. Instead, Bethel police were waiting for Horvath-Howard and charged him with first-degree attempted larceny.
Horvath-Howard was arraigned in Danbury Superior Court on Monday. Bond was set at $250,000 and his case was continued until Nov. 10.
The Financial Crimes Division of the Secret Service says it receives about 100 calls daily from victims or potential victims and between 300 and 500 correspondence daily about the scams.
The e-mails, which have become common in recent years, should be ignored, said Bethel police Detective Ron Ashker.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it is,” he said. “The easiest way to avoid this thing is don’t buy into it.”