Advance fee fraud

Advance fee fraud, often also known as the Nigerian money transfer fraud, Nigerian scam or 419 scam after the relevant section of the Nigerian Criminal Code http://www.nigeria-law.org/Criminal%20Code%20Act-Part%20VI%20%20to%20the%20end.htm that it violates, is a fraudulent scheme to extract money from investors living in relatively richer countries in Europe, Australia, or North America. This type of scam, originally known as the "Spanish Prisoner Letter" http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/amazing_offers/frauds_hid.asp, has been carried out since at least the sixteenth century via ordinary postal mail. These scams have come to be associated in the public mind with Nigeria due to the massive proliferation of such confidence tricks from that country since the mid-eighties, although they are often also carried out in other African nations, and increasingly from European cities with large Nigerian populations, notably London and Amsterdam.

Related Topics:
Fraud - Spanish Prisoner - Confidence trick - Africa - London - Amsterdam

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Originally, the schemers contacted mainly heads of companies and church officials, however, the use of e-mail spam and instant messaging for the initial contacts has led to many private citizens also being targeted, as the cost to the scammers to make initial contact is much lower.

Related Topics:
E-mail - Spam - Instant messaging

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The schemers seem to believe the saying "You can't cheat an honest man" thus victims deserve what they get. As all the deals or offers involve "something for nothing" schemes.

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The United States Federal Trade Commission has issued a Consumer Alert about the Nigerian scam. It says: "If you receive an offer via email from someone claiming to need your help getting money out of Nigeria — or any other country, for that matter — forward it to the FTC at spam@uce.gov."

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