*Ø* Blogmanac | Nigeria declares war on email scams
Nigeria's president has launched an ambitious campaign to root out the fraudsters responsible for saddling it with the reputation of being the most corrupt country in the world.

Declaring "total war" on '419' scams - a notorious advance-fee fraud in which millions of euro have been extorted from gullible foreigners - Mr Obasanjo pledged "no hiding place for these criminals who tarnish Nigeria's image."

The '419' letters, named after article 419 of Nigeria's criminal code, which makes soliciting for advance fees a criminal offence, are sent out by fax or email by Nigerian criminal syndicates posing as legitimate businessmen seeking the assistance of foreigners to transfer a large sum of money into their account in exchange for a hefty commission. The letter's recipient is then asked to make an advance payment, either as a sign of good faith or to help bribe a government official, and the businessman is never heard of again.

Britain's National Criminal Intelligence Service estimates the fraud netted around Stg£150m last year in Britain alone (that's nearly $246 million US.)
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