The scammers spent the money on computers, gold and cheeseburgers

May 13, 2013 13:46 GMT  ·  By

A British woman living in South Africa had her life savings stolen in 2011 after falling victim to a phishing scam. Several individuals from the UK and Egypt took part in the scheme. 

According to the Daily Mail, one of the fraudsters sent out a bogus bank notification and tricked the victim into handing over her personal details.

The information was then sold to a Nigeria national. A 26-year-old woman from Sierra Leone used the data to change the bank details by posing as the victim.

Most of the £1 million ($1.5 million) they stole from the victim was spent during the course of three days in January 2012.

The con artists purchased high-end computers, gold, champagne, and cheeseburgers.

Some of the fraudsters have already been jailed for their roles in the scam, while others expect their sentencing.