What is Advanced Fee Fraud or a 419 Scam?
Advance fee fraud also known as a 419 scam is an international phenomenon, although it has its roots in West Africa in Nigeria. Today, there are advance fee fraudsters operating in many countries although most of the advance fee fraud still seems to be concentrated in a number of countries in West Africa, especially Nigeria. Because of our globalized world, the criminal gangs who are involved in this 419 fraud often have international connections. An unsuspecting victim might receive an email from a scammer located in an internet café in Nigeria which might then be transferred to his accomplice in Holland or Spain. This type of scam, originally known as the “Spanish Prisoner Letter,” has been in operation in some form since at least the sixteenth century. Volume is the key to its success. 419 scams have come to be associated in the public mind with Nigeria due to the massive proliferation of scams from that African country since the mid-eighties. document.getElementById(‘adsense_placeh
