History Main / FourOneNineScam

* In the introduction of ''DaveBarry's Money Secrets'', Dave Barry claims to have received the promised $47 million from a Nigerian businessman after sending him two $5,000 "advance fee" checks. It's fairly sure he was making this up.

* In an early episode of ''30 Rock'', Tracy Jordan asks his entourage if they remembered the Nigerian prince who needed his help. He then nonchalantly informs them he recently received the money . . .

* [[http://www.joyoftech.com/joyoftech/joyimages/898.gif This strip]] of the webcomic ''The Joy of Tech''.

* ''IrregularWebcomic'' has an entire theme devoted to a literal Nigerian Finance Minister who often employs schemes such as this.
** To be fair, the NFM is actually HONEST, and is trying to do good. A financial problem necessitated him trying to move money out of the country, for Nigeria's good: the fee was an honest reward. He can't understand why no-one responds to his emails.
* In [[http://achewood.com/index.php?date=03052007 this]] ''{{Achewood}}'' StoryArc, Ray gets a Nigerian scam email that [[http://achewood.com/index.php?date=03152007 turns out]] to be an actual plea for help getting money out of the country.

* Since ''MassEffect2'' gave Shepard an email account it was inevitable that one of these would drop into his/her inbox eventually. Apparently in the MassEffect verse the standard spiel involves [[{{Precursors}} Prothean]] artefacts and [[GhostPlanet Ilos]].
* In the introduction of ''DaveBarry's Money Secrets'', Dave Barry claims to have received the promised $47 million from a Nigerian businessman after sending him two $5,000 "advance fee" checks. It's fairly sure he was making this up.
* One ''KnightsOfTheDinnerTable'' strip deals with one of the Knights recieving a Nigerian banking scam email. HilarityEnsues.
* Used in a ''FoxTrot'' strip.

* One episode of ''VeronicaMars'' features two college students pulling off a scam based on this one. The "sealed account" is the students' trust fund.

* One ''KnightsOfTheDinnerTable'' strip deals with one of the Knights recieving a Nigerian banking scam email. HilartyEnsues.

The 419 scam is a form of internet fraud commonly associated with nationals of the UsefulNotes/{{Nigeria}}n state. Typically takes the form of someone under a false identity contacting a member of the public and asking them in suspiciously shaky English for a small initial outlay of money which will be repaid with interest several times over at a later date. Often starts with something along the lines of

This type of scam is more generically termed "advance fee fraud". The number 419 refers to the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code dealing with fraud.

* VeronicaMars: One episode features two college students pulling off a scam based on this one. The "sealed account" is the students' trust fund.
* IrregularWebcomic has an entire theme devoted to a literal Nigerian Finance Minister who often employs schemes such as this.

What tends to hook the mark is the initial surge of greed. When this dies down, what keeps them in it is often the SunkCostsFallacy -- the sense that having invested so much in the game already, they can't afford to stop now -- anger, or a desire to outwit or dupe the "ignorant foreigner." Since they have been playing a game with less than laudable motives, victims seldom go to the police even when they begin to suspect they are being played: if the con is true, after all, they are committing bank fraud. Victims may also fail to report to authorities out of a sense of shame at falling for the scam, so reported losses to the Nigerian scam are likely lower than the actual total.

What tends to hook the mark is the initial surge of greed. When this dies down, what keeps them in it is often the Sunk Costs Fallacy -- the sense that having invested so much in the game already, they can't afford to stop now -- anger, or a desire to outwit or dupe the "ignorant foreigner." Since they have been playing a game with less than laudable motives, victims seldom go to the police even when they begin to suspect they are being played: if the con is true, after all, they are committing bank fraud. Victims may also fail to report to authorities out of a sense of shame at falling for the scam, so reported losses to the Nigerian scam are likely lower than the actual total.

* VeronicaMars: One episodes features two college students pulling off a scam based on this one. The "sealed account" is the students' trust fund.

The 419 scam is a form of internet fraud commonly associated with nationals of the UsefulNotes/{{Nigeria}}n state. Typically takes the form of someone under a false identity contacting a member of the public and asking them for a small initial outlay of money which will be repaid with interest several times over at a later date. Often starts with something along the lines of

Despite being relatively straightforward and often a case of NamesTheSame, hundreds of thousands of people around the world have fallen victim to such scams. As a result, Nigeria has a very dire reputation amongst some countries and investors. The problem is so bad that it is seriously affecting investment opportunities within Nigeria. The Nigerian government has countered with the statement that it is not just Nigerian nationals who are responsible for such 419 scams, but rather, people masquerading as Nigerians due to its terrible reputation with other countries abroad.

The number 419 refers to the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code dealing with fraud.

The website [[http://www.419eater.com/ 419Eater]] is devoted to "scambaiting" - purposefully pretending to fall for the scam and then forcing the scammer to do time-wasting/embarrassing things, (hopefully) distracting them from actual victims.

!!Tropes include:
* GrammarNazi: Shaky English on official-looking e-mails is often a sign of a scam.
* SpanishPrisoner: If you send money for costs, bureaucracy, bribes and so forth, we have millions of dollars for you.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: Many of the scams prey on victims' compassion in order to extract money from then.

Despite being relatively straightforward and often a case of NamesTheSame, hundreds of thousands of people around the world have fallen victim to such scams. As a result, Nigeria has a very dire reputation amongst some countries and investors. The problem is so bad that it is seriously affecting investment opportunities within Nigeria. The Nigerian government has countered with the statement that it is not just Nigerian nationals who are responsible for such 419 scams, but rather, people masquerading as Nigerians due to its terrible reputation with other countries abroad.

* AssholeVictim: A LOT of the scammers say they are corrupt officials of a desperately poor/misgoverned country or the family/friends/associates of such. BEFORE they ask for your help to sneak their ill-gotten wealth out of the country.

* AssholeVictim: A LOT of the scammers say they're former corrupt officials or the family of trying to sneak their ill-gotten wealth out of the country. And asking for your help. To steal money from a desperately poor country.

The 419 scam is a form of internet fraud commonly associated with nationals of the {{Nigeria}}n state. Typically takes the form of someone under a false identity contacting a member of the public and asking them for a small initial outlay of money which will be repaid with interest several times over at a later date. Often starts with something along the lines of

*WoundedGazelleGambit: Many of the scams prey on victims' compassion in order to extract money from then.