The experience of a businessman fooled by this scam. Contact is initiated via letter, fax, or email offers of millions of dollars in compensation for holding even more millions of dollars in your bank account.

An archive of several hundred scam letters, with date received, names of supposed senders, country where the money is supposed to have originated, and amount.

Devoted to fighting the advance money scam, in which victims are offered millions for allowing an even greater sum to be deposited in their bank account, but end up having their accounts drained or being fooled into advancing fictitious taxes, fees or bribes.

The author describes the mass of offers he has received from African nations, offering him a share of millions, with a description of how the scam works. [Salon]

Describing the Nigerian advance fee scam, with a searchable database of known names used by persons participating in the fraud, along with an archive of the letters and fake documents they use, and a bulletin board.

Detailed information on the scheme, centered largely in Nigeria, wherein people are offered a share of millions of dollars to help transfer the money to their bank account. From the U.S. State Department. [1.04M]

Outlines the basics of this con, mentions variations, gives an example of a typical letter, explains how victims are taken in by this long-running scam. Links to further information.

What the West African "419" fraud is, how it works, where victims meet up with the criminals operating this scheme, what residents of the UK should do if they receive a 419 letter. From the Metropolitan Police.

An archive of e-mailed solicitations received, how much the web site owner would have supposedly made by now, which scenarios are used (e.g., dead foreigner, or chemically treated money), explanation of how the scam operates, and links.

People in academia can be targets of advance fee fraud schemes too. Sample letter, bullet list of common features of a "419" scam, and FAQ. From University of Pennsylvania Computing/Information Security.

Pamphlet from the Australian Institute of Criminology. Press release, abstract, information on ordering the print publication.

Transcript of a talk on this type of fraud from a banker's perspective.

The "Nigerian Letter" du jour, interspersed with comments. For the small business owner who might think that just possibly an offer out of the blue for a cut of millions of dollars could be truthful.

An online database of scam 419 letters, explanation of how the scam operates, all the necessary links related to the 419 fraud.

Info about an alleged employment and job training scam running in Chicago.

Describes some variations of the "Nigerian Scam," scam indicators, typical opening lines, phone numbers mentioned, web sites used by the scammers. Names, company names, and e-mail addresses used by the gangsters.

Examples of business financing fraud (based on advance fees) and other fraudulent schemes.

Information and links on 419 scams; correspondence and photographs from some scambaiting projects.

Description of the scam's mechanics, history, senders' aliases, ways to easily identify the scam email, and related links.

Advance Free Fraud forums, information and links to fraudulent sites.

Detailed examination of how an American man fell for a fraudulent scheme operating out of the UK. [The Register]

Examines the 419 scam as well as its history, going back several decades. [Slate]

Offers free pdf-format books about fighting Nigerian 419 letter scams and email fraud.

An insight to a fraudulent email campaign.

Outlines how common variations of this scam operate, including loans, phony sweepstakes, west African letters. From the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Federal Trade Commission alert on those polite letters from strangers in trouble, which promise a large financial reward for discreetly helping them.

Provides information on fake bank sites and how to distinguish them from legitimate ones, along with announcements of monthly flash mob events aiming to shut down fake bank sites through bandwidth siphoning.

A collection of advance fee fraud messages from all over the globe.

The Minnesota Attorney General's office describes how the scheme works, and tells businesses, nonprofits, and individuals what they can do if they receive an offer through the mail to transfer money out of a foreign country.

An information-gathering site dedicated to listing emails sent by advanced fee fraudsters.

Database of email scam messages, aimed at the general public and law enforcement.

The idea of the African elite offering untold riches to strangers via e-mail or fax may seem absurd, but the National Criminal Intelligence Service says that victims are losing millions of pounds. [Scotland on Sunday]