Origin of Nigeria Money Scams

Did you know all of those bogus emails from Nigeria promising you millions of dollars has its origins in the classic con called THE SPANISH PRISONER?

This hustle dates back to 1588, when a con with a pretty young lady in tow approached British nobility, saying that a fellow British nobleman-the winsome girl's father, in fact-has been imprisoned in Spain. The con man said the nobleman's identity must be kept secret, lest the Spanish realize whom they're holding. The con then asked his marks to help with the ransom price. In exchange, the con said, the freed nobleman would surely reward his liberator with riches and maybe even with his lovely daughter's hand in marriage... Naturally, there was no real-life "Spanish prisoner" and once the con man had the "ransom" money, he galloped off into the sunset.

Today, this scam has been updated for the Information Age, its modern incarnation being the infamous Nigerian money transfer email, wherein marks the world over are asked to help "liberate" funds frozen in Nigeria.