Nigerian Scam Email Ring Indicted for Swindling Seniors

Ten alleged members of a Nigerian email scam crime ring have been indicted on federal charges of swindling at least two dozen victims nationwide out of some $1.5 million, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California announced yesterday.

Nigerian 419 scams -- the "419" referrers to a section of the Nigerian criminal code -- are a notorious kind of advance-fee fraud where con artists posing as foreign dignitaries send spam emails to victims offering them a huge payoff in return for an upfront payment.