The $75,000 "419" Ophanage

SARASOTA (myfoxtampabay.com) - Susan Hunt is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and about to lose her house.

All because she fell for one the most common scams online.

Hunt got an e-mail asking for a small investment to help build an African orphanage.

It also promised a big payoff, in the millions of dollars.

Susan had recently lost her business, was going through a divorce, and says she was desperate, and vulnerable.

"I believed in it so much, I believed it was going to be the answer to my financial problems," she said.

At first Susan says she was, indeed, skeptical.

But she believed that helping build the orphanage was a good thing to do, and started corresponding with a man down there.

"I asked him for his passport photo, and he sent this. I asked for him his children's passport photos and he sent that," she said.

He sent the pictures, as well as some official looking government documents, and she began sending money -- thousands at a time.

After a few months, and a total of $75,000, Susan she thought it was time check on the orphanage and start collecting her promised multi-million dollar payoff -- so she flew to Africa, to the country of Ghana.

The story began to unravel. There was no orphanage, and there was no multi-million dollar payoff.

Unbelievably though, the phone calls continued to come in from the scammers, offering to teach her how to swindle other people.

The catch -- Susan would have to fly them to Sarasota.

Instead of purchasing plane tickets, she has the Secret Service looking into the case, while she looks back on what is turning out to be the most expensive lesson of her life.

"It's unbelievable," she says. "Truly unbelievable."