The other day I got an email stating that I had inherited 13,000,000 usd from a relative who owned an oil company in Ghana,Africa.The email was from a man posing as a lawyer.I did a little research,and found quite a few emails that were like mine.Its called the Nigerian 419 scam.This scam has affected alot of people.Some just had there bank accounts emptied,while others had been reported missing ,some had been beaten and tortured,some have even turned up dead over this scam.Somehow these scammers lure people over to Africa and kidnap and murder these folks.Its a VERY serious problem that needs to be addressed.So please ,if you happen to get an email that sounds to good to be true ,deleate it or look into to it thoroughly before you decide to respond.If any one else has ever had thiis happen to them please post your experience,you just might save a life! :tu:

This has been going on for a long time. Just never, ever open an email from anyone you don't know.

The woman that just murdered her pastor husband lost 17 grand in that scam, which was part of their financial problems. Obviously.

that scam is old, pretty lame to, damn them nigerians

great advice.

I get over 200 smam emails including a couple from the Nigerians, every day. If you open them, they will know it was recieved and keep sending them. Luckily I have a spam box where that junk automatically goes.

The thing about fishing scams, is that eventually some sucker is going to bite.

you should visit 419 eaters.com Scooby.This site just loves to mess with scammers,and its pretty hilarious too!

We've got a big problem with nigies in my country.
They're ruthless and cruel and mostly military trained.

The problem with these scams is that there will always be some fool going
"Wow I won! where do I sign!"

I got one of these on my computer at work a couple years ago - knowing what it was I responded with a harsh scolding and recommended that the scoundrels get a real job. Then I started to get one about weekly - so I turned up the heat on my responses, berating the scammers as the scum of the earth - the emails just kept coming. Finally I tired of it and just stopped responding. Soon the emails stopped.

Sadly, there are some otherwise decent people out there who haven't heard about the 419 scam and end up losing everything to it. Many put the blame on the victim due to their greed - but everybody has a little of that in them. If these things can't legally be stopped, there should be a portion of a class in high school that warns young folks of scams like these IMO in case they don't hear about them by word of mouth.

I recieved one of the Nigerian emails. I replied and asked them to send me more info to forward to my attorney so that we could proceed. Never heard from them again,lol I figured the mention of a lawyer would be enough to stop them. Sadly, my sis was really going to go for it. I almost didnt' talk her dumba$$ out of it.

It is so sad how many people fall this type of thing. These scams really tempt the elderly and those who are having money troubles. Sometimes in people lives they become so desperate for answers they are pulled in and pay a terrible price.

A friend of mine recently got a similar thing in the mail - notification that he had been selected as a winner of a blind lottery (said it was out of Canada - probably a forwarding address from Nigeria). It was fairly professionally done (color printing) and said he had won and all he had to do was send $1,500 to cover taxes to receive $95,000. I told him it was surely a scam and he agreed - but he said they had enclosed a $1500 Wachovia bank check (from a Florida branch) along with the paperwork telling him to just cash that and then send them a money order. (new angle - no money out of your pocket)...he was curious and took the check to a local Wachovia branch.

This is no kidding: The teller was going to cash the check!...he was amazed and asked to see the branch mgr. The Branch mgr immediately IDed it as a forged check and chances are the teller got a good chewing out.

So what's the scam? If he had cashed the check and then sent the money in a money order, the overseas scammer would have got the money and he would have been on the hook for endorsing and cashing a forged check. Of course there would have never been any $95,000 lottery winnings.

Lesson here: If you didn't enter a lottery - you didn't likely win one!

I've received a number of these over the years, as well as announcements that I've won the lottery (that I never entered) about a half dozen times.

My advice is to delete !


I watched the news last week where a couple thought they were being smart by replying to a fake e-mail and trying to spam the spammer. It backfired on them, the spammer was able to gather enough information about them to put together a rather believeable death threat !

These people are professional criminals, don't even give them the time of day.

Agreed. I don't even open them. If I don't know the source of the email it gets deleted.

I work for the Fraud dept at a large bank. We deal with customers on a daily basis that fall into this trap. It is unbelievable. A lot of them are older people and are in desperate need of money. There was one the other day that started to cry really bad because he needed the money that he thought he would get. We had to tell him over and over again, it was a scam. He did not want to believe us and almost pulled all of the money out of his account to send over seas.

Just to let some of you know, it does not only come via email, it can also be sent to your mailbox in a stamped envelope.

As a member of the lower class, I feel ashamed that my fellow poor are really beeping stupid. Good grief! Who would believe that some Nigerian prince found your name and wants to send you money. Who?

Old people are excused from my tirade because of biological factors for which they are not to be held responsible.

This is still a massive problem the costs of these scams are now having a significant impact on the economy of industrialized countries all over the world.

This is also one of my biggest and busiest services, recovering money back for the victims.

Many victims also can't report being scammed to the Authorities as they are breaking several laws by engaging in these so called business deals with the Nigerians: Here is a list of just some of the crimes teh victim is guilty of:

> Money laundering

> Receiving stolen property

> Intent to defraud

> Conspiracy to defraud

> Misrepresentation with intent to defraud

> Financial crimes against banks

> Financial crimes against a government

> Transporting/transferring stolen property across national borders

> Forgery

> Grand larceny

> Wire fraud

> Aiding and abetting criminal activity

> Internet fraud

Each of these is a separate and individual international crime. Each crime carries its own penalty - fines and jail time

I have gotten letter's in the mail as well on in my email....I just ignor then and never reply....But this scam is kinda old now....

The problem here is "GREED" many think they can get something for nothing, Real life does not work that way, I had a self made millionaire business man lose just under $24,000,000 in 3 months to these thieves.

The UK did have a designated unit within the National Criminal Intelligence
Service "NCIS" that focussed on Advance Fraud but they were disbanded over 2 years ago, now victims are on their own???

i got on like that a while ago it was the same oil thing but i dont think it was from nigeria i thought it was a chain from my school friends so i deleted it

Hello Everyone,

I hope I am not intruding at all by writing this thread. If I am, please feel free to have a moderator remove it.

I am in search of stories from victims of 419, Check Washing, Black Currency, and other related fraud cases. I have setup a page of instructions if you are a victim that wishes to share your experience. These stories will be archived in hopes of preventing other people from becoming future victims. Public Education is the key in fighting these kind of scams!

Click Here if you wish to visit the page I have setup to post your story.

If anyone wishes to email me their story instead, you may do so at scams@computerquestionhelp.com

Thank you for the forum, I can see myself finding many interesting things to read that your organization has posted.

Regards,