In recent years, the occurrences of scam 419 have increased dramatically. If you’ve ever received an email detailing a Nigerian princess or wealthy business man requesting your help to transfer their fortune overseas, you’ve received a letter from scam 419. Scam 419 is characterized by a wealthy individual from a far country requesting your assistance in exchange for a hefty percentage of their fortune. Doesn’t scam 419 just reek of a scam?

How does the 419 email scam work?

The slums behind scam 419 typically collect email addresses through mailing lists; the 419 scam emails are sent to just about anyone with an email address. Thankfully, most of us have enough experience (and common sense!) with the internet to know that the 419 scam emails are indeed a scam. However, other less experienced users (young teens and the elderly) might believe that these 419 scam emails will pave the road to their financial freedom. The scam 419 victims will be conned into giving the pathetic Nigerian con men thousands of dollars without ever receiving a dime. Scam 419 victims are told that they must pay a few “transaction fees” amounting in several thousand dollars before they can get their millions. Typically, no less than $5,000 is forfeited to the Scam 419 culprits.

Reporting 419 Email Scam Fraud

Unfortunately, no specific division of the federal government has been appointed to scam 419. However, there is a way to report the 419 email scam. Fraudulent scam 419 emails can be directed to FraudAid. They’re a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to putting a stop to scam 419 by sending all reported scam 419 emails to law officials. When reporting your scam 419 email, send a detailed email including the original scam 419 email body and the IP address used to send the original scam 419 message (FraudAid will help you find the IP address).