The world is rife with challenges, and successful scams never quite disappear. They just shift and change over time, becoming new, slightly different versions of themselves as time goes on.
The Nigerian Prince scam is an old confidence scheme where the fraudster promises a big reward for a small, up-front price. But while that legendary con is now mostly a punchline, it has a fascinating history that goes back more than 100 years.
It's also the framework for more sophisticated and dangerous scams that are draining billions from victims every year. This article delves into the timeline of the Nigerian Prince scam and how it has evolved into modern lucrative romance scams.
The character is contacted by someone who claims (in suspiciously shaky English) to have a large sum of money which is rightfully his but which he cannot access for various reasons (sealed account, locked trust fund, etc.), and he needs the mark's help to be able to access it. If he helps out, he'll get a substantial share of the money, which could be millions of dollars.
To do this, the scammer typically needs the mark's own bank account to help him transfer the money, and he needs some of the mark's own money in advance to help authorize the transfer, bribe officials, or do anything else the scammer can think of. But the money doesn't exist; once the scammer gets the mark's money or access to his bank account, he cuts off all contact.
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As a trope, though, it's not usually used as a way to drive the overall plot like the Spanish Prisoner scam is; instead, it usually goes to show how stupid or gullible a character is for falling for it. The common subversion is thus the money being real and the character unluckily passing up a reward from an actual wealthy Nigerian prince.
In Real Life, the term derives from Section 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code, which prohibits fraud and details the punishments and penalties that await fraudsters. However, it's used to refer to all scams of this kind, even when they don't involve Nigeria or bank accounts at all.
But to be a trope, it helps to use shorthand, and that's why it nearly always involves a Nigerian with a big bank account he can't access.
Considered a Dead Horse Trope in modern works, mostly because there are more subversions of the trope than actual straight uses; case in point, the image for this page is also a subversion.
Let's explore some instances of this scam in popular culture:
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- As seen in the page image, Bart Simpson receives a "letter from a Nigerian prince" promising a portion of the prince's riches if he sends payment.
- In the works of A.A. Pessimal, the Discworld equivalent of this scam involves a bogus clacks message purportedly from a Howondaland noble.
- An arc in The Night Shift shows Olafur falling for one and continuing to believe in it despite everyone around him pointing out that it's a scam.
- In 1000 Ways to Die, a Nigerian con artist scams a poor schmuck into giving him his whole life savings.
One notable example is the tale of Dr. Bakare Tunde, the cousin of Nigerian Astronaut, Air Force Major Abacha Tunde. According to the message, below, he was Nigeria’s first astronaut who was unwittingly left on board a secret Soviet space station when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1990 (actually 1991). However, he was still getting paid for his years of ongoing solitary service, amounting to over $15 million. He was on a later Soviet spaceflight, Soyuz T-16Z to the secret Soviet military space station Salyut 8T in 1989. He was stranded there in 1990 when the Soviet Union was dissolved.
A cool 20 percent of that money could now be yours... if you pay $3 million for a return spaceflight to pick him up.
Of course, he needs someone else to pay the upfront costs, as the law forbids civil servants to open and operate foreign accounts.
Unfortunately, there has never been a Nigerian person in space nor would it be possible to stay in space since the '90s without many cargo runs in between.
The use of social networking and other internet resources has become more of a lifeline than ever for charities and humanitarian organizations that rely on donations. Simultaneously, though, criminal abuses of the internet continue to increase in number.
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A recent initiative on the part of the Ugandan government has resulted in the shutdown of many bogus child-care operations in the country, but there are still cyber-criminals lurking who knows where, and they know it’s lucrative to use needy and innocent children as bait.
Here's an example of a humanitarian scam:
A charity is warning people not to be fooled by heart-rending begging scam asking for cash to help poor families in Uganda. World Vision urged people not to fall for authentic-looking letters asking for cash for students and orphans in the African country.
One version reads: “Our dear father was bitten by a poisonous snake while digging on a fateful day... and he died a few minutes later. Our mother is sick suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure, she has no proper medical care due to lack of money. “We live in poor and miserable conditions.
The letter asks for cash to be sent so a nursing course can be completed.
Letters are sent with an official-looking covering letter from a Dr Sarah Najjuko at the school, which, as far as TFN has been able to ascertain, does not exist.
Other versions doing the rounds say that the student’s parents have died of Aids or been killed in civil war.
World Vision, a Christian charity which operates a well-known "sponsor a child" scheme, says it is aware of and deeply concerned about the bogus letters.
Below is some additional information about Early Warning and their efforts to combat financial crimes:
Our advanced technology has made it easy for scams to reign all over the place. We are the company behind Zelle®, and PazeSM online checkout solution. To learn more about Early Warning, visit www.earlywarning.com.
Let's explore some common souvenir scams:
- Some countries have currency for the natives and a different one for tourists, which is at a much higher exchange rate. Now, it’s true that they do have different currencies, but the differences are minimal at best. As a result, you pay for your souvenir and gladly take the change, not knowing that you were shorted and didn’t receive the correct amount.
- Locals and travelers to New York are likely acquainted with this scam. This is when the vendors line the streets with their tables. The stand operator can then claim that you brushed by and broke the merchandise being displayed.
- One of the other tricks of the trade is that shop owners ask you if you’d like to hold the item you’re interested in. The merchant can accuse you of breaking the item and require you not only pay for the merchandise, but for “damages” as well.
How To Avoid Online Scams | Online Scams that you Must Know!
Table: Key Differences Between Legitimate Requests and Scam Attempts
| Feature | Legitimate Request | Scam Attempt |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Professional, clear, and grammatically correct | Poor grammar, spelling errors, and suspicious phrasing |
| Reason for Request | Transparent and logical | Vague, far-fetched, or overly dramatic |
| Upfront Fees | Rarely required, and if so, fully explained | Demanded urgently with promises of large returns |
| Contact Information | Verifiable and legitimate | Difficult to verify or non-existent |
| Pressure Tactics | None | High-pressure tactics to rush your decision |
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