We told you about the pending foreclosure of Elvis Presley's beloved home-turned-shrine Graceland, a motion the judge halted last week amid claims the paperwork -- including the signature of the late Lisa Marie -- was fraudulent.
This writer admits to being skeptical. Why would anyone try to pull such a brazen act of fraud with such a recognizable property and family? It seemed to her the family was buying time to come up with the $3.8 million borrowed against the property to avoid losing it.
Well, turns out it was fraud:
An identity thief using an email listed in the foreclosure case of Graceland claimed his ring was behind the threat to sell the former home of Elvis Presley. https://t.co/8E1icUpTn6
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 28, 2024
Holy cow.
In its email, The Times referred to the company’s claim that Ms. Presley had borrowed $3.8 million from it, using Graceland as collateral. In the responses, which came from the email address The Times had written to, the writer described the foreclosure effort not as a legitimate attempt to collect on a debt, but as a scam.
“I had fun figuring this one out and it didn’t succeed very well,” the email writer said. He said he was based in Nigeria and his email was written in Luganda, a Bantu language spoken in Uganda. But the filing with the email address was faxed from a toll-free number designed to serve North America; it was included in documents sent to the Chancery Court in Shelby County, Tenn., where the foreclosure case is still pending.
Since the news broke last week that a company was trying to sell Graceland — Elvis Presley’s former home and a beloved tourist attraction in Memphis — the Naussany company has been a persistent puzzle. It is difficult to find any public records that prove that the company exists. Phone numbers listed in court documents for the company are not in service. Addresses listed by the company are those of post offices.
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It's scary, because he admits to targeting the elderly and the dead -- people who, presumably, aren't nearly as famous as Elvis or his daughter. Imagine how many families have had property taken from them by this scam.
That's interesting
— SHOAIB MOHD . (@Shoaib55on) May 28, 2024
'Interesting' is the understatement of the year.
How on earth did it get this far without an attorney filing something. They just had to publish a notice in the newspaper and then could auction it off?? https://t.co/74LYJBrANZ
— pho (@ABowlofPHo22) May 28, 2024
Excellent question.
“I am the one who creates trouble,” the alleged dark web ringleader wrote in an email to The New York Times.https://t.co/N7TZXXL9cX
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) May 28, 2024
'Creates trouble' -- what a jerk.
Ruthless ‘Nigerian scammer’ takes credit for auction scare at Elvis Presley’s Graceland: ‘I had fun’ https://t.co/gjyXiKzdHH pic.twitter.com/8OHXEtzcIy
— New York Post (@nypost) May 29, 2024
There isn't punishment good enough for a guy who ruins lives like this.
America never had “royalty” but we will always have The King. Don’t mess with Elvis.
— 🤔 (@Schwarzwald77) May 29, 2024
Amen.
I hope @ElvisPresley haunts this f*cking ruthless Nigerian scammer in his sleep and never wakes up.
— AC Nixon (@nixonapun) May 29, 2024
Seriously. He deserves it and much, much more.
This is such a cautionary tale that a complete stranger with demonic computer skill can literally pull a home away from a rightful owner. @INTERPOL_HQ should be the main agency safeguarding against this worldwide. https://t.co/qewbbb375B
— PopTrashMoviee (@l8dyice85) May 29, 2024
Interpol won't care. But be very aware of your property, and keep paper copies of everything.
So Graceland was almost auctioned off because of some Nigerian scammer?!
— Chris Taylor (@christaylor_nyc) May 29, 2024
That is WILD https://t.co/hTcfMvFTbB
Wild is right.
Although there's no way Memphis and the state of Tennessee would've let Graceland fall into the hands of a private business. It generates tens of millions of dollars for the city and the state. They would've stepped in, even if the loan had been legit.
We're glad it wasn't, but what an insane story.
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