Nigerian Scam Letters or Nigerian 4-1-9 Scam
By Jennifer Brown

A Brief History of the Nigerian Scam Letter

It is called the 4-1-9 scam after the section of the Nigerian Penal Code that relates to fraudulent schemes and is an oldie but goodie as far as the scammers are concerned. The Nigerian scam first surfaced around twenty years ago in the form of snail mail letters sent to unsuspecting individuals in the US and UK. They were hand- or typewritten on official letterhead and the envelopes were postmarked from Nigeria and appeared to be legitimate.

The Latest Incarnation

In recent years the Nigerian scam letters have made the jump into the digital age and have resurfaced as emails sent to unsuspecting individuals all over the world in many languages. Those who are foolish enough to divulge their bank account information will find that all their funds have been electronically transferred. And those are the lucky ones.

The Set Up

The email will come under the subject header “Urgent” or “Confidential” or “Your Assistance Required” and the scammer will claim to be a relative of a high-ranking government official who is now imprisoned. The scammer will then go on to explain that his/her relative has a large sum of money in a coded bank account that needs to be transferred out of the country before they can be accessed. The scammer will then request that the recipient volunteer the use of his/her bank account to facilitate the transfer of funds to a third party account. In exchange, the recipient will receive a ten percent cut of the money. All the recipient needs to do is call the telephone number provided or provide their full contact information and bank account number and wait. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it is.

What Happens Next

Let’s talk about the lucky ones first. Those who reply to the scammer with their bank account information will not find the promised sum transferred to their account but rather an empty bank account. Those who call the number provided in the letter or email will be greeted by a scammer at the other end of the line. This fast talker will explain that for the transfer of funds to be completed expeditiously an upfront payment of $1000 is required. And this is only the beginning. Anyone who coughs up the first thousand dollars will be inundated with demands for ever larger amounts until they won’t or simply can’t pay anymore. Once the scammers have bled their mark dry they will disappear into the night with the cash and ready to move on the next mark.The unlucky ones who have actually been convinced that they must travel to Nigeria may find themselves abroad without a passport (a serious offense) and at the mercy of scammers who threaten to turn them over to authorities if they do not pay. Others have even been kidnapped or murdered for their money.

What is Being Done

The Nigerian scam has proved to be extremely hard to crack down on for various reasons. Many victims are understandably too embarrassed to come forward and remain silent. The scammers operate from outside US borders and have proven to be extremely elusive. The US Secret Service has set up a webpage: http://www.secretservice.gov/alert419.shtml dedicated to fighting this fraud and has stationed agents in Nigeria to assist US citizens who have fallen prey. The US State Department has published warnings about this scam at http://travel.state.gov/tips_nigeria.html .

Despite the Nigerian governments claims that it is trying to crack down on the scam, it isn’t. According to http://www.quatloos.com/scams/nigerian.htm the scam is the third largest industry in Nigeria.

How to Protect Yourself
Learn to recognize the tip offs. The letter is a Nigerian scam letter if:

-It claims to be from an alleged "official" representing a foreign government or agency;
-An offer is made to transfer millions of dollars in "over invoiced contract" funds into your personal bank account;
-You are encouraged to travel overseas to complete the transaction;
-You are requested to provide blank company letterhead forms, banking account information, telephone/fax numbers;
-You receive numerous documents with official looking stamps, seals and logo testifying to the authenticity of the proposal;
-Eventually you must provide up-front or advance fees for various taxes, attorney fees, transaction fees or bribes;
-Other forms of 4-1-9 schemes include: c.o.d. of goods or services, real estate ventures, purchases of crude oil at reduced prices, beneficiary of a will, recipient of an award and paper currency conversion.

What To Do if You Receive a Nigerian Scam Letter

First and foremost, do not respond to the solicitation. Second, consider reporting it to the authorities by contacting the US Secret Service Task Force handling scam matters by fax at 202-406-6930 or 202- 406-5031. Be sure to fax all the documents you have received from the scammers especially banking data. Be sure to note if you have or have not suffered a financial loss in connection with the scam. If you have suffered a financial loss be sure to include your complete contact information so a Secret Service agent can get in touch with you (but don’t worry–*you* are not in any trouble).
If you do not have a fax machine you can snail mail the documents to: The United States Secret Service, Financial Crimes Division, 419 Task Force, 950 H Street, Washington, DC, 20001-4518.

If the contact from the 419ers was via email: write their email provider at their "abuse" address (abuse@yahoo.com, abuse at onebox.com etc.) and include the 419er message with its headers; complain about the 419 message; and ask that the account be shut down.