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An advance-fee scam is a type of fraud and one of the most common types of confidence trick. The scam typically involves promising the victim a significant share of a large sum of money, which the fraudster requires a small up-front payment to obtain. If a victim makes the payment, the fraudster either invents a series of further fees for the victim, or simply disappears. There are many variations on this type of scam, including 419 scam, Fifo's fraud, Spanish Prisoner scam, the black money scam and the Detroit-Buffalo scam.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=FBI — Financial Fraud )〕 The scam has been used with fax and traditional mail, and is now used with the Internet, like emails. Online versions of the scam originate primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom and Nigeria, with Ivory Coast, Togo, South Africa, the Netherlands, and Spain also having high incidences of such fraud. The scam messages often claim to originate in Nigeria, but usually this is not true. The number "419" refers to the section of the Nigerian Criminal Code dealing with fraud, the charges and penalties for offenders.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Nigerian scam )〕 ==History== The modern scam is similar to the Spanish Prisoner scam dating back to the late 18th century.〔Old Spanish Swindle Still Brings In New U.S. Dollars, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, October 2, 1960, pg 14〕 In that con, businessmen were contacted by an individual allegedly trying to smuggle someone connected to a wealthy family out of a prison in Spain. In exchange for assistance, the scammer promised to share money with the victim in exchange for a small amount of money to bribe prison guards. One variant of the scam may date back to the 18th or 19th centuries, as a very similar letter, entitled "The Letter from Jerusalem", is seen in the memoirs of Eugène François Vidocq, a former French criminal and private investigator. Another variant of the scam, dating back to circa 1830, appears very similar to what is passed via email today: "Sir, you will doubtlessly be astonished to be receiving a letter from a person unknown to you, who is about to ask a favour from you...", and goes on to talk of a casket containing 16,000 francs in gold and the diamonds of a late marchioness. The modern scam became popular during the 1980s. There are many variants of the letters sent. One of these, sent via postal mail, was addressed to a woman's husband, and inquired about his health. It then asked what to do with profits from a $24.6 million investment, and ended with a telephone number. Other official-looking letters were sent from a writer who said he was a director of the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. He said he wanted to transfer $20 million to the recipient’s bank account – money that was budgeted but never spent. In exchange for transferring the funds out of Nigeria, the recipient would keep 30% of the total. To get the process started, the scammer asked for a few sheets of the company’s letterhead, bank account numbers, and other personal information.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/emergencies/scams.html )〕 Yet other variants have involved mention of a Nigerian prince or other member of a royal family seeking to transfer large sums of money out of the country.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=https://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/get-consumer-help/articles/the-nigerian-prince-old-scam-new-twist/ )〕 The spread of e-mail and email harvesting software significantly lowered the cost of sending scam letters by using the Internet. While Nigeria is most often the nation referred to in these scams, they may originate in other nations as well. For example, in 2006, 61% of Internet criminals were traced to locations in the United States, while 16% were traced to the United Kingdom and 6% to locations in Nigeria. Other nations known to have a high incidence of advance-fee fraud include Ivory Coast,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://abidjan.usembassy.gov/art_of_scam.html )〕 Togo,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1041.html )〕 South Africa,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.hampshire.police.uk/Internet/advice/advice/advancefeefraud.htm )〕 the Netherlands,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://amsterdam.usconsulate.gov/advance_fee_fraude.html )〕 and Spain.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.bba.org.uk/customer/article/advance-fee-fraud/fraud/ )〕 One reason Nigeria may have been singled out is the apparently comical, almost ludicrous nature of the promise of West African riches from a Nigerian prince. According to Cormac Herley, a researcher for Microsoft, "By sending an email that repels all but the most gullible, the scammer gets the most promising marks to self-select." Nevertheless, Nigeria has earned a reputation as being at the center of email scammers, and the number 419 refers to the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code (part of Chapter 38: "Obtaining property by false pretenses; Cheating") dealing with fraud.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.nigeria-law.org/Criminal%20Code%20Act-Part%20VI%20%20to%20the%20end.htm )〕 In Nigeria, scammers use computers in Internet cafés to send mass emails promising potential victims riches or romance, and to trawl for replies. They refer to their targets as ''Magas'', slang developed from a Yoruba word meaning "fool". Some scammers have accomplices in the United States and abroad that move in to finish the deal once the initial contact has been made. In recent years, efforts have been made, by both governments and individuals, to combat scammers involved in advance-fee fraud and 419 scams. In 2004, the Nigerian government formed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to combat economic and financial crimes, such as advanced fee fraud.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.efccnigeria.org/efcc_homepage_files/establishment_act_2004.pdf )〕 In 2009, Nigeria's EFCC announced that they have adopted smart technology developed by Microsoft to track down fraudulent emails. They hoped to have the service, dubbed "Eagle Claw", running at full capacity to warn a quarter of a million potential victims.〔 Some individuals may also participate in a practice known as scam baiting, in which they pose as potential targets and engage the scammers in lengthy dialogue so as to waste their time and decrease the time they have available for real victims. Details on the practice of scam baiting, and ideas, are chronicled on a website, 419eater.com, launched in 2003 by Michael Berry. One particularly notable case of scam baiting involved an American who identified himself to a Nigerian scammer as James T. Kirk. When the scammer — who apparently had never heard of the television series ''Star Trek'' — asked for his passport details, "Kirk" sent a copy of a fake passport with a photo of ''Star Trek''s Captain Kirk, hoping the scammer would attempt to use it and get arrested. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Advance-fee scam」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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