A 90 year-old North Dakota woman who was robbed of her life savings by a Jamaican lottery scam says she has been paid back only US$287 of the US$400,000 she is owed.
Edna Schmeets of Harvey, a small central North Dakota town, was the victim whose case launched what became the first large-scale Jamaican lottery scam case prosecuted in the U.S.
All 31 defendants in the lottery scam have been prosecuted, including 14 Jamaicans who were extradited.
Authorities identified victims of the scam in 31 states, with more than 100 mostly elderly Americans bilked out of more than US$6 million.
Miss Scmeets told the Bismarck Tribune newspaper that she is disappointed with the small amount she has received.
She said she was told another check for US$138 is pending.
Federal prosecutors pledged to get at least some of the victims’ money back.
But offenders’ inability to pay often limits the collection of restitution.
According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, many victims wait years before receiving any money, and many never received the full amount they were owed.