13. The Nigerian Prince Scam Has Been Around Since the French Revolution
During the French Revolution, when anyone who was remotely suspected of belonging to the old aristocracy was considered a traitor and sentenced to the guillotine, a scam began in which someone would send a letter, claiming to be a marquis or other nobleman. He would say that he lost a cache of jewels while escaping the guillotine and that his servant was imprisoned for trying to help him. The request was for bail money, and the promised reward was a share of the recovered jewels. Of course, the scheme was a complete hoax, and anyone who fell for it found themselves out of money.
By the time the Spanish-American War came around, the scam had crossed the Atlantic Ocean and evolved. Tricksters would send out letters en masse, claiming to need help freeing someone (usually a someone who was quite wealthy) who had become a prisoner of war. A lot of money was required upfront to help pay the person’s ransom. In return, the person was promised much money down the road. Of course, that money never came. All that to say that what we now know as the Nigerian prince scam is centuries old. And it probably won’t be going away anytime soon.