'Nigerian prince' email scams still rake in over $700,000 a year—here's how to protect yourself via CNBCMakeIt
The "Nigerian prince" email scam is perhaps one of the longest-running Internet frauds. Actress Anne Hathaway even joked about it in her monologue on"Saturday Night Live" over a decade ago.
The reason these scams are so effective is that they present victims with a"perfect storm of temptations," Dr. Frank McAndrew, a social psychologist and professor at Illinois-based Knox College, tells CNBC Make It. The best way not to fall for these is to recognize them for what they are. Experts say these types of emails are typically unexpected and from an unknown sender. Some email providers may even automatically send these to your spam folder.
Overall, Americans lost over $26 million to scams last year, according to ADT. While the Nigerian prince-style schemes can cost a lot if you fall for them, investment fraud and romance scams are the most expensive for victims.
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