The “Nigerian prince” scam is older than email

The story

In the late 1800s, people in Britain and the United States received letters from a stranger claiming to be imprisoned in Spain. The prisoner had hidden a fortune, the letter said, and would share it with whoever paid for their release. There was always one more bribe, one more fee, before the money could be sent.

The New York Times wrote about the scheme in 1898 as an old swindle making a comeback. It had already been around for decades.

When email arrived, the letter moved online. The modern version is often called a “419 scam,” after the section of Nigeria’s criminal code that covers fraud, which is how it became known as the “Nigerian prince” email.

The script has not changed

Every version follows the same steps:

1. A stranger with a reason to need you. A prisoner, a widow, an official, a lawyer.
2. A large reward. More money than the request.
3. A small payment first. A fee, a tax, a bribe.
4. Secrecy and urgency. Tell no one, and act now.

The lesson today

Business scams follow the same script with a better disguise. The stranger becomes a vendor, the reward becomes avoiding a late fee, and the small payment becomes an invoice paid to new bank details. Urgency and secrecy are still the giveaway, and a phone call to a number you already have still breaks the spell.