Scams are a type of fraud and one of the most common confidence tricks. The scam involves promising the victim a share of a large sum of money, but requires a small upfront payment from the victim to obtain it. If the victim makes the payment, the scammer either invents further fees or disappears entirely. There are many variations of this scam, such as advanced fee fraud, Pfeiffer's fraud, Spanish prisoner scam, black money scam, and the Detroit Buffalo scam. The number 419 refers to the article of the Nigerian criminal code dealing with fraud. The scam has been used with traditional mail and is now prevalent on the internet, originating primarily in the United States, United Kingdom, and Nigeria, with other countries like Ivory Coast, Togo, South Africa, the Netherlands, and Spain also experiencing high incidences of such fraud. The history of the 419 scam can be traced back to the late 19th century and is similar to the Spanish prisoner scam. During this time, corn businessmen would receive letters from someone claiming to be connected to a wealthy family trying to smuggle someone out of a prison in Spain. In exchange for assistance, the scammer promised to share money with the victim in return for a small bribe to prison guards. There have been variations of the scam dating back to the 18th or 19th centuries, including a letter entitled the "Letter from Jerusalem" and a letter sent in the 1830s with a similar storyline. The modern 419 scam gained popularity in the 1980s, with various letters being sent to victims. These letters, often sent via postal mail, would inquire about a person's health or discuss a large investment. The scammer would claim to be a director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and wanted to transfer millions of dollars...