The first time I got one of those emails (it was from a country other than Nigeria), not knowing it was a scam, I emailed the country’s permanent mission to the United Nations asking if the name of the sender of the email was familiar to them. I felt so proud to be able to beat crime by notifying the country of such a fraudulent attempt. I was so ready to help them put their deposed leader’s next of kin in jail for trying to rob the country.
Never heard back from them.
Some time later, I told my father, who explained the scam to me. Nice way to deflate a guy. 
WRS