The Bomb Detector Scam
Some frauds are a bit sleazier than others. Overcharging for a melon is one thing, but to act in a way that could cause death is something else entirely. James McCormick, a con artist, received a 10-year prison sentence as a result.
In Iraq, McCormick was operating a scam. He had made a fortune selling bomb detectors to various governments and organizations. Some sold for just £5000, while on one occasion he conned his way to £500,000 for one. They were not, however, actual bomb detectors. They were modified models of the Gopher, a gadget used for retrieving golf balls. And for £53 million, he sold 5,000 of them to Iraq. Sales totals are unknown, however they may have exceeded £100 million.
The devices had been exposed as fakes in the US years earlier, but the inventor relocated to the UK, where McCormick became engaged. Additionally, more than one agency there found them to be worthless fakes, but nothing was done about it. They were merely empty boxes with antennae and lights that had no connections and served no purpose at all.Multiple people died as a result of McCormick's fraud, and numerous others were imprisoned by dishonest officials.
