CONSUMER ALERT
Beware Of Letters From Nigeria

I have recently become aware of a Nigerian scam letter in which the writer claims to know me and to have been a classmate of mine in college. This is, of course, completely false. It is a somewhat bizarre twist to a scam that is all too common. Don't fall for it.

For whatever reason, the country of Nigeria has for some years had the dubious distinction of being a world leader in Internet scams. I think it is safe to say that any letter, email, or call from a stranger in Nigeria is a dangerous fraud. You should hang up the phone, delete the email, and throw away the letter.

In some cases, the solicitation is a sad tale of political intrigue, assassination, and a national treasure needing to be deposited in your bank account. In other cases, you will be told that you are about to receive a huge inheritance from a relative you never heard of before. In still other cases, like the one that used my name, the writer will simply want to establish contact with you. Don't do it. I strongly recommend no contact whatsoever.