This con has targeted American and other foreign businesspersons for quite a few years now, but it continues because there are still gullible people making it worth the while of the con-artists. There are still people being conned out of thousands of dollars in advance fees, and costing some people their lives.

Organized crime rings set up in the outskirts of the Nigerian capital city of Lagos have been known to send thousands of letter, faxes and e-mails to potential victims. The con-artists pose as senior-level civil servants working for the governement. They need your help for a confidential business transaction. They promise a generous percentage for helping them transfer tens of millions of dollars in surplus governmental funds.

Their solicitation is not very sophisticated. A simple letter or e-mail that sounds too good to be true. But they send out enough proposals and hope that the greed factor will kick in. And the greed has been strong enough to pull in hundreds of millions of dollars in the past few years. This has only encouraged more criminals to attempt this scheme. The Nigerian police have even assigned this advance fee scheme as "4-1-9 fraud" in its penal code.

Those who respond to the lucrative and questionable offer are reassured with official documents that are forged. They are also shown fake letters of credit, bank drafts and payment schedules. If they get far enough, the con-artists arrange for meeting with government officials to verify the deal. Somewhere down the line, they will notify the victim that an unforeseen advance fee is needed to bribe an official to make sure the transaction is carried out. Sometimes these advance fees are stretched out and continue for some time.

Victims are usually persuaded to fly to Nigeria or a neighboring African country. They are told they don't need a Visa to visit their country, but in reality, Nigeria has strict laws requiring Visas. This gives the con-artists extra leverage to extort the victim and ensure they receive their advance fees. An American was killed in 1995, and other businessmen have been reported missing.

Some people have had meetings arranged in European countries. Some meetings have even been arranged in the United States.

This con is dangerous. You are dealing with organized crime here, with cunning and persistent criminals. They have contacts located in the United States helping them so it is better not to play around with these people.

Read about the experience others have had with this scam and get info from people in your local area in the SIGHTINGS & LOCATIONS section. If you have had any experiences with the Nigerian 4-1-9 Scam, please share your experience with others, because only through the sharing of information can we help others.