Nebraska man scammed again, this time losing $54,000

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A Nebraska man lost $54,000 in a long-running scam, and authorities said it’s not the first time he fell victim.

On Wednesday, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to a report of a scam in Panama, a village southeast of Lincoln.

A 56-year-old man said he had been in contact with someone going by “James” since April 2023.

The scammer told him he had won a large sum of money but needed to send Apple gift cards to get it, according to the sheriff’s office.

The victim sent the scammer $450 a week for 120 weeks, authorities said.

When he became suspicious, “James” told him that he could go to jail or lose his job if he didn’t keep sending money.

The two communicated exclusively over Google Chat, according to Chief Deputy Ben Houchin.

The money is likely overseas now, Houchin said, which will make it hard to recover.

Authorities said the man has been victimized by two other scams. In total, they estimated that he has lost more than $100,000.