We here at PimpWiz believe that there are ways to make money without having to scam people. With that being said, comes a new feature series called, "Knockin' the Hustle"

This purpose of this series is to expose scams on the Internet. For our first feature comes probably the most lucrative scam on the internet most commonly known as the "Nigerian Scam".

Basically, they blast out millions of these emails knowing that people are always looking for the quick buck and will do almost anything to get it. This scam has turned into hundreds of millions of dollars annually for it's schemers.

According to 419 Coalition: Scam total was up to Five Billion US$ as of 1996, It's worldwide Scam which has run since the early 1980's under Successive Governments of Nigeria. It is also referred to as "Advance Fee Fraud", "419 Fraud" (Four-One-Nine) after the relevant section of the Criminal Code of Nigeria, and "The Nigerian Connection" (mostly in Europe). However, it is usually called plain old "419" even by the Nigerians themselves.

According to wikipedia:
The Nigerian scam is a fraudulent scheme to extract money from victims after making them believe they will get an immense fortune. Victims are requested to pay an upfront fee before their purported fortune is released. Advance fee fraud is a subtype of the confidence game commonly referred to as "The Spanish Prisoner". All con games of this type involve the mark making an upfront payment in order to secure the promise of a reward that is somehow tied up.

Originally, the schemers contacted mainly heads of companies and church officials. However, the use of e-mail spam and instant messaging for the initial contacts has led to many private citizens also being targeted, as the cost to the scammers to make initial contact is much lower.

According to the US Secret Service:
Several reasons have been submitted why Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud has undergone a dramatic increase in recent years. The Nigerian Government blames..the greed of foreigners.

Indications are that Advance Fee Fraud grosses hundreds of millions of dollars annually and the losses are continuing to escalate. In all likelihood, there are victims who do not report their losses to authorities due to either fear or embarrassment.

Click Here for an examples of the "Fo' One Nine Fraud"

And if not wasnt bad enough. "This scam can be physically dangerous as well as dangerous to your finances. Victims are almost always requested to travel to Nigeria or a border country to complete a transaction. Victims are often told that a visa will not be necessary to enter the country. The Nigerian scam artists may then bribe airport officials to pass the victims through Immigration and Customs. Because it is a serious offense in Nigeria to enter without a valid visa, the victim's illegal entry may be used by the scam artists as leverage to coerce the victims into releasing funds. Violence and threats of physical harm may be employed to further pressure victims. In June of 1995, an American was murdered in Lagos, Nigeria, while pursuing a 4-1-9 scam, and numerous other foreign nationals have been reported as missing." (Via scambusters.org)

The PimpWiz.com Bottom Line: We are just trying to keep it "Sucka-Free" over here and get you hip to the game. Sometimes, you got to knock the hustle.