Avoid Money Scams

Why am I writing about the Nigerian Money scam?  It is one of the most famous and continuous ongoing scams of this century.

According to snopes.com it originated in the 1920’s and continues today.  In essense someone from a foreign country promises great wealth in return for a limited amount of help with their funds.  After sending the money the scammer will follow up with additional promises and try to continue to get more money until finally the victim gets wise and stops sending money.

This scam, as simple and obvious as it may seem is widely successful.  Some figures estimate that scammers are recovering millions of dollars annually with this process.  Obviously a con artist is not going to stop a con that is working.

The lesson as always is to be vigilant.  If a letter, a fax, or an email appears to be fraudulent then be careful.  Don’t send money to strangers.  Don’t believe wild promises.