This trick is as old as the benny hills

Jun 5 2003 By Peter Jackson, The Journal

I'm delighted to declare to the world this week that I'm rich. In fact, I'm filthy rich - or at least I soon will be.

I have, you see, been made two offers, which, when accepted, should net me a cool $15,540,000. And all I need to do is sit back and let the old greenbacks roll in.

The first offer came from a gentleman with an African-sounding name who claims to work for a South African bank, although, reassuringly, his e-mail seemed to come from a "Mr benny hills".

In a nutshell, he tells me about one Engr Pierre Claude (Snr), who sadly died recently in an air accident, leaving $38.8m in the said South African bank. M Claude has no traceable next of kin, so the bank's management has decided to have the account declared unclaimed and "be donated to the South Africa trust fund for the acquisition of arms and ammunition to further enhance the course of War in Africa and the World in General". As you do. However, my correspondent (aka benny hills) has a cunning plan. Because M Claude was foreign, a native South African can't claim to be his next of kin, whereas I, also being foreign, can.

And benny leaves nothing to chance: "All documents and proves [sic] to enable you to get this fund will be carefully worked out". Oh good.

Then I get to keep 30pc of the total while benny and his friends get the rest. We not only thwart the enhancement of war, but benny intends to "invest some part of my own share of the fund into charity organisations".

And blow me down if, within days of this, I didn't received another e-mail from a gentleman in Zimbabwe whose father, a wealthy gold and tobacco merchant and member of the opposition MDC movement, was killed by pro-Mugabe thugs. He left $18m and my cut for helping out is 35pc. Well, I can dream can't I?

Both offers are fine examples of what is known as the Nigerian Scam, although the frauds, as in these cases, do not always originate in Nigeria.

If I was daft enough to take either of these gentlemen up on their offers, I would be told something had gone wrong, papers had to be obtained, officials bribed, special licences bought and would I mind forwarding the odd few thou, which is, after all a drop in the ocean compared with what I stand to gain.

Like most con tricks, it's as old as the hills and it doesn't need e-mail.

It was certainly recorded in the 1920s, when it was known as "The Spanish Prisoner" con, but I won't bore you with the details.

What is amazing is that people fall for it. One US federal agent was quoted six years ago as saying victims in the USA had lost more than $100m in just 15 months and that was only the losses from people who complained to the authorities so didn't mind admitting they had only been born yesterday.

So sorry, benny, but I'll have to turn you down on this one.