# Has anyone anywhere ever been fooled by a Nigerian e-mail scam? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 1, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517 "2009-09-01T18:08:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/1 "2009-09-01T18:08:05Z")
The fact that I still get a dozen of these a day tells me that there’s some expectation of success on the scammers’ part. But I have hard time believing anyone would be dumb enough to fall for something like this, especially nowadays when the falsity and sheer ludicrousness of the e-mails have been not only well-documented but well-parodied. So has there ever been any documented case of someone falling prey to these Nigerian scammers, and if so, what type type of people are likely to be victims? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/2 "2009-09-01T18:13:12Z")
Lots of people have been fooled although it’s a very low number relative to the insane volume of the emails. Many of the victims are elderly people who are starting to lost their faculties. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/3 "2009-09-01T18:17:28Z")
It absolutely happens. [Here’s a whole website](http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Nigerian/nigerian_victims.htm) with stories of Nigerian scam victims. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/4 "2009-09-01T18:26:46Z")
I was close…well kinda. I was probably about 12 years old and it was the first time I’d ever seen one. It showed up on the fax machine. My dad quickly explained that it was just a scam and I should just toss it out. I had always wondered if it really was a scam or if we had just thrown away our cut of thirty four million seven hundred thirty eight thousand dollars (why do they always spell it out)…until two days later when we got the next one and the next one and the next one. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/5 "2009-09-01T18:31:42Z")
Here’s a [Harvard med school instructor](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqir8FOGYrw&NR=1), who scammed $600k from friends and colleagues for SARS research, and sent all of it to a Nigerian scammer. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/6 "2009-09-01T19:05:06Z")
Here’s a woman who [lost $330,000 entrusted to her by her clients](http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/060202/ala_060202ala0090001.shtml). She spent some time in jail, and is supposed to repay the money, but I doubt that will ever happen. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/7 "2009-09-01T19:07:40Z")
My Dad’s friend was scammed by a “419’er”, and now he’s dedicating a good chunk of his life to fighting it. I’ve met him, and wouldn’t think he’s that easy to fool, but he got bitten. (If you want more info, you can visit his webpage at [brianwizard.com](http://brianwizard.com).) ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/8 "2009-09-01T19:08:39Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Here’s a [Harvard med school instructor](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqir8FOGYrw&NR=1), who scammed $600k from friends and colleagues for SARS research, and sent all of it to a Nigerian scammer. Was it Tommy Lee Jones, or Will Smith? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/9 "2009-09-01T19:28:58Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > Was it Tommy Lee Jones, or Will Smith? 😉 Goddamnit! That’s the second time in a week I posted the wrong link! And I preview and everything! [http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=358578](http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=358578) ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/10 "2009-09-01T20:07:10Z")
Mark Whitacre, President of bioproducts division, ADM: > [@](#): > > In 1990, he invited his vice president, Marty Allison, into his office and excitedly waved a letter. (Eichenwald tells this story, Lieber does not.) The letter came from someone who claimed to be connected to the Nigerian Ministry of Petroleum Resources. The writer claimed he had gained access to millions of dollars that could be freed up with the help of someone like Whitacre. He wrote that he needed from Whitacre some company letterheads, some bogus invoices, a bank account to send the money to — and an “investment” that seemed small compared to the forthcoming riches. Whitacre sent tens of thousands of dollars, and eventually pressed Allison to kick in $20,000 of his own on Whitacre’s promise to cover any loss. > > By the time it became obvious that he would never get anything back, Whitacre had been bilked out of more than $200,000. Allison asked for his $20,000, and Whitacre devised a plan to repay him. Whitacre would submit an invoice for $81,250 for nonexistent services to ADM, and ADM would pay the money to a chum of Allison’s who would get half, while Whitacre and Allison split the rest. Allison worried their employer might find out. “Marty, I’m the division president,” Whitacre replied. “Nobody will question me.” [http://www.lib.niu.edu/2001/ii010535.html](http://www.lib.niu.edu/2001/ii010535.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/11 "2009-09-01T21:30:03Z")
Here’s a thread started by a doper who witnessed a scam in progress first hand: > **[Unwittingly dragged into the middle of a scam. Yipe!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=498879)** > > Okay, not the middle of a scam, but the periphery – a very awkward position either way. Sorry in advance for the length… I live in an apartment building. A neighbor on my floor, whom I know enough only to say ‘hi’ and ‘how are you’ to now and then,... There was another thread like that one posted by a doper who worked in a library and witnessed a customer in the middle of being a scam victim. Oddly, the typical reaction to being told you’re being scammed seems to be intense anger toward the person trying to save you. Weird. And there was this thread was about **DocCathode** ’s dialogue with what I believed to be a scammer, but he believed to be genuine - never did find out how that one ended though, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/12 "2009-09-01T21:32:14Z")
David Pogue wasn’t scammed himself, but did have an interesting experience with someone who was: [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/11/technology/circuits/11POGUE-EMAIL.html?\_r=1](http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/11/technology/circuits/11POGUE-EMAIL.html?_r=1) ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/13 "2009-09-01T22:15:30Z")
A Czech who had fallen victim to a Nigerian scam [in 2003 killed the Nigerian consul](http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2003/02/57760). ---
**Author:** ![Henrichek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5daacb/32.png) [@Henrichek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henrichek)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/14 "2009-09-01T22:18:20Z")
Several scammers have themselves been scammed by their victims too. Here’s an excellent example: [Welcome to the 419 Eater](http://www.419eater.com/html/bigman.htm) There are more on the same page :). ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/15 "2009-09-01T22:29:00Z")
From the FBI at the link below. $1 to $2 BILLION dollars per year in the U.S. alone is taken by an assortment of these scams. [http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/orgcrime/africancrim.htm](http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/orgcrime/africancrim.htm) ---
**Author:** ![MarcinCiez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b38774/32.png) [@MarcinCiez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcinCiez)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/16 "2009-09-01T22:45:11Z")
> [@somepumpkin](#): > > My Dad’s friend was scammed by a “419’er”, and now he’s dedicating a good chunk of his life to fighting it. I’ve met him, and wouldn’t think he’s that easy to fool, but he got bitten. (If you want more info, you can visit his webpage at [brianwizard.com](http://brianwizard.com).) He’s figting it??? Looks like he’s just trying to make a profit. “Don’t Be Scammed! Be Informed” PLUS Nigerian 419 Scam “Game Over” Audio CD all for $44 plus $6 p/h! ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/17 "2009-09-01T23:33:07Z")
I used to hang out on 419eater. Whenever there was an ethics debate- say, “I fell uneasy about stranding a lad in a Muslim country with an Arabic sign that he doesn’t know says ‘I hate Muhammad’ [real example]” someone would whip out an article about some victim commiting suicide because he lost eight jillion dollars to a princess in a refugee camp and his creditors were about to repossess his eyeballs. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/18 "2009-09-01T23:40:28Z")
An attorney friend of mine had never heard of the scam. He was telling me one day how he had this new client he was helping trying to get a large chunk of money out of Canada. He took the case on a contingency fee. I asked if his client mentioned anything about Nigeria. When he responded in the affirmative, I told him his client’s money is probably long gone and he should contact the FBI. Next time I spoke to him, he said he was no longer working on that case. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/19 "2009-09-02T00:23:11Z")
I still have a $24,000 cashier’s check sent to me by a scammer. I was to keep $4000 and sent the rest to a “relative” in Canada. The check was sent to me from Canada and that is where the emails came from too. The check just happened to be drawn on a small local credit union not far from where I live. I took it to a branch and they confirmed it was a forgery. The sender would send me emails asking where the money was and I would tell him I was busy and would take care of it in a few days. After a few weeks, threats started coming from the sender including calling the FBI and something called the National Bank Council. I then started ignoring the emails. 2 months after receiving the check, I sent the scammer an email “written” by my wife. It stated that I was in jail for cashing a forged check, the police had taken all our money and that her and our 7 children were soon going to be homeless. Never received another email from the scammer. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517/20 "2009-09-02T21:15:57Z")
Wow! Brian Anthony is a very talented man. I couldn’t believe he was hoisting the scammer by his own petard. I hope that karma takes a big bit out of these scammers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-anywhere-ever-been-fooled-by-a-nigerian-e-mail-scam/508517.md?page=2)