Many of you have heard about the Nigerian Email Scam (aka 419 Fraud) that proliferates through email traffic and usually sits waiting in your Inbox or Junk Mail folder for the next victim. Many do not know, however, that the scam has been successful for over a decade now since the 1990’s and gets its origins as far back as the 16^th century.

The Nigerian Email scam is a derivative of the Spanish Prisoner Con where a victim is told about a Spanish prisoner that is extremely wealthy who needs somone’s help in getting free. This so-called prisoner is relying on the con artist to raise enough money to free him. The con artist approaches his victim with the story and allows him to help with a portion of the fundraising with the promise of high reward and financial gain. There was even a Hollywood movie called The Spanish Prisoner made in 1997 based on this plot.

The first instances of the Nigerian Scam were seen in the early 1990’s. Back then, it was delivered via postal service or fax. Over ten years later, its main method of delivery is email and to this day there are still people falling victim to the scam. Losses are estimated in the billions of dollars. Brian Ross of ABC News has recently completed an interesting investigative report following the trail of these Nigerian con artists.

To add insult to injury, there is an immensely popular song and music video in Nigeria whose lyrics flaunt the success of the scam (“you be the mugu², I be the master”) and ridicule Caucasians’ greed (“Oyinbo³ people greedy, I say them greedy”).

“I Go Chop Your Dollar” (video)

I Go Chop Your Dollar (lyrics)
I don’t suffer no be small
Upon say I get sense
Poverty no good at all, no
Now I’m make I join this business
419¹ no be thief, it’s just a game
Everybody they play ‘em
If anybody fall mugu², ha! My brother I go chop ‘em

Chorus

National Airport now me get ‘em
National Stadium now me build ‘em
President now my sister brother
You be the mugu² , I be the master
Oyinbo³ I go chop your dollar, I go take your money disappear
419¹ is just a game, you are the loser I am the winner
The refinery now me get ‘em,
The contract, now you I go give ‘em
But you go pay me small money make I bring ‘em
You be the mugu², I be the master… now me be the master ooo!!!!

When Oyinbo³ play wayo, them go say now new style
When country man do ‘em own, them go the shout bring ‘em, kill ‘em, die!
Oyinbo³ people greedy, I say them greedy
I don’t see them tire that’s why when them fall enter my trap o!
All day show them fire

1. Nigerian criminal code that the scam violates
2. Nigerian Pidgin for “fool”
3. Nigerian Pidgin for “Caucasians”