The 419 Scam FAQ

If you have an e-mail account, you've received at least one 419 scam e-mail. These messages circulate all over the Internet despite peoples' best efforts to stop them. As long as criminals exist on this planet, there will be somebody online who wants to separate an innocent victim from his or her money.

But even though 419 scams are all over the Internet, many people don't know much about them. This FAQ will fill you in so that you can be better informed and, hopefully, spot the scams before it's too late.

Why are they called "419" scams?
The "419" refers to the relevant section of Nigera's criminal code. 419 e-mails are also called Advance Fee Fraud. This is because all of the different types of messages require you to pay at least one fee before you see the promised reward.

Even though the "419" refers to a Nigerian code, you should know that Advanced Fee Fraud can originate in any country. The "419" refers to the type of scam, not the country the scammer calls home. There are con artists all over the world, so be wary of any stranger who sends you an e-mail that sounds too good to be true.

How does a 419 scam work?
Scammers harvest your e-mail address from the Internet. Some will pluck the addresses from guestbooks, blogs and Web sites. Others - usually members of more organized gangs of scammers - will go the lazy route and buy your information. Either way, they acquire your e-mail address, which they bomb with the messages that they hope you'll believe.

Basically: the scammers send out bulk e-mails to as many addresses as possible. They know that not every e-mail user will reply to the e-mails. So, the more they send out, the better their odds of finding a victim.

When you reply to the e-mail, the scammer knows that he's probably found a victim. Despite what the scammer tells you in the first few e-mails, you will have to pay for whatever it is that you're trying to acquire (a trunk full of cash, a dead man's bank account, whatever). The con artist will tell you that there is a fee involved. Maybe he needs to pay the "lawyer" who's drawing up the fake paperwork that's required for you to get the cash. Perhaps there is some sort of filing fee in the court system. Or maybe you need to pay a bribe so that the trunk of cash can safely leave its current destination.

The scammers will ask you for fees until there is nothing left. No matter how much money you send to the scammers, you will never actually see your reward. They've been spending your hard-earned money on themselves the entire time.

What types of 419 letters are there?
There are many different 419 letter "formats" circulating online. You've probably seen a few of them already. One popular format is the "I am a U.S. soldier with a big ol' box of Saddam Hussein's cash - help me get it out of Iraq" letter. This person is most assuredly not in the military. He isn't a U.S. citizen, either. He's sitting in an Internet cafe somewhere, sending you this pre-written script and waiting for you to send some money for bribes.

Another popular letter is the "Rich widow" format. Basically: some bad, bad men killed this woman's husband. But before he died, he stashed several million bucks. She can't access the cash by herself, so you're welcome to a good chunk of it if you help her. Though rich widows really do exist all over this planet, there really aren't that many filthy-rich ones. And those who do have that kind of money rarely, if ever, need a complete stranger's help to retrieve it.

These are just a couple of examples. You can search the Internet for other types of letters. Or just check your spam folder: there are probably several in there right now.

Do people really fall for these e-mails?
Yes. People of all backgrounds, intelligence levels, social standings and income levels have fallen for these scams. A few of the victims are sucked in because they are greedy. But many are desperate. They will believe even the most outrageous stories because they have bills to pay, families to feed, et cetera. Blaming the victims really does not do any good, though, because they weren't the ones who awakened one day and decided that it would be a good idea to swindle people out of their life savings.

How do I know when I've received one of these e-mails?
When the story in the first e-mail sounds too good to be true, you're probably reading a 419 scam. Ask yourself this: why would a complete stranger want to give you tons of money? Couldn't that person find a trustworthy person in his or her own part of the world to help out? Despite the seemingly-good explanations that the scammers give in their letters, they really are trying to con you out of your money.

What should I do when I receive a 419 e-mail?
Most people simply delete the messages and forget about them. That's much better than falling for the scams and losing your money!

You can also forward the message to the e-mail provider. If the scammer is using a Yahoo! Mail account, for example, then you should forward the e-mail to Yahoo's administrators. The same thing goes for other e-mail services.

What if I've already replied to a scammer?
This is a good time to sever all contact with the scammer. You can report the scammer to the relevant authorities (in your country and in his), but don't expect anything to happen. Nigerian authorities, for example, have more Advance Fee Fraud cases than they can handle. By the time they get around to your complaint, "your" scammer will be long gone.

A good source of further information is www.scamwarners.com - a site devoted to warning Internet users about 419 scams. You'll find all sorts of information, from how to spot a 419 scam to what to do if you're a victim.