The Nigerian prince scam is still fooling people. Here’s why.
The scam has evolved over time. (Pixabay/)Before there was Elizabeth Holmes or the Fyre Festival, there was the Nigerian prince. For decades, this digital hustler has been seeping through spam filters to offer you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: Dear beloved, he writes, I’m a wayward royal coming to you with an incredible investment opportunity. Mr. Sir, he says, did you know you have millions of dollars unclaimed in a Western Union account? I can help you get it out. All he needs is a small cash advance or a bank account number to complete the wire transfer. Then, these unexpected riches are yours.Most people know this for what it is: a scam. Also known as the 419 fraud, the Nigerian prince is a variation on the centuries-old Spanish prisoner swindle, an advance-fee scam that emerged after the French Revolution, where people sent handwritten letters soliciting help for a (non-existent) nobleman falsely...