The Original Internet Rip-Off

The notorious Nigerian Email Scam started around ten years ago, and experts can’t even calculate how much money it stole from unsuspecting victims. The original scam was based in Nigeria, and went like this: A user received an email explaining that a rich man in Nigeria had ten million dollars in a Swiss Bank Account, but it was frozen due to legal caveats. But, if the Nigerian had a loan of $10,000, then he could get a hold of the ten million, and would share a million of that with the person who lent him the ten grand. The victim who fell for this would wire the money to Nigeria, and of course, never, ever hear from the supposed millionaire. In the early days of the Internet, with its anonymity and many inexperienced users, the original Nigerian Email Scam probably netted millions of dollars.

Why Nigeria?

The landlocked, African country of Nigeria isn’t synonymous with advanced computer hacking and telecommunications, so how did it become home to the greatest email scam in the young history of the Internet? Well, Nigeria’s remoteness, its lack of central authority, and alleged corruption in the government all made it nearly impossible for international authorities to investigate – let alone prosecute – the email schemes. Nigeria has a large English-speaking population, connection to the Internet, and a very poor economy, which gave scammers the incentive to be inventive with their Net-based chicanery. However, the glory days of the Nigerian email scheme have mostly come to a halt. Once the international cries over the Nigerian-based schemes became loud enough, Section 419 of the Nigerian Penal Code was set up exclusively to deal with them. The schemes continued for many years, and some have merely moved to different countries. They also grew in infamy, and people became very wary of any email from Nigeria that promised quick money.