There's an interesting article at The Slate - The Nigerian Nightmare - on the subject of an EMail I received this morning: Fraud. In fact, this Nigerian Scam is, according to published reports, the Third to Fifth largest industry in Nigeria. There is info about this at the U.S. Secret Service Financial Crimes Division website, and at the 419 Coalition Website.

Received: from cpimssmtpa21.msn.com ([10.48.181.49]) by cpimsstra10.email.msn.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.0.2195.4905); Mon, 28 Oct 2002 06:02:54 -0800 X-MSN-Trace: {D3350E78-D4D5-4326-AD3A-688C0E43091C} Received: from smtp-gw-4.msn.com ([217.78.76.162]) by cpimssmtpa21.msn.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.0.2195.4905); Mon, 28 Oct 2002 06:02:18 -0800 From: "BARRISTER ALI KOLOMA" Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 15:02:55 Subject: PRIVATE ASSISTANCE MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain;charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Return-Path: koloma@hknetmail.com Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 28 Oct 2002 14:02:20.0303 (UTC) FILETIME=[A1AFB9F0:01C27E8A]

From: BARRISTER ALI KOLOMA [mailto:koloma@hknetmail.com]
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2002 3:03 PM
Subject: PRIVATE ASSISTANCE

ATTN:PRESIDENT/CEO

Sir,

VERY CONFIDENTIAL

first I must solicit your strictest confidence in this transaction. This is by virtue of its nature as being utterly confidential and top secret. I came to know of you in my private search for a reliable and reputable person to handle this confidential transaction, which involves the transfer of a huge sum of money. I am the Attorney to Mohammed Abacha whose father Lt.Gen. Sani Abacha died sometime in 1998 in mysterious circumstance as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. My client who is still in detention for fraudulent activities, which he committed during his father s reign desperately, needs a foreign partner into whose account he will transfer the sum of $32m USD (Thirty-two million united states dollars). This money is safely deposited in a security company here in Lagos before his detention. My client whose family properties have been seized and bank accounts frozen by the present Civilian Government cannot afford to loose this money, which he ho! pes to! start a new life whenever he is released from detention. We have agreed to offer you 30% of the whole money, 60% for us and 10%for any eventual expenses.There is no risk involved in this transaction. Every arrangement has been concluded with the security company that as soon as you give me your positive response to this request, the money will be moved out of the country within 3-5 days.

please reply through e-mail or call on my private line 234-802-3049565

I waiting to hear from you.

BARRISTER ALI KOLOMA