419 crackdown must get to the source, say UK police

A proposed new crackdown on '419' email scams by the Nigerian government must give police powers to arrest the wealthy and well-connected criminals at the heart of the operation, according to the UK's National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS).

The 'advanced fee fraud' 419 emails promise recipients a share of the huge fortune of some dead politician or businessman in return for letting the transaction pass through their bank account. Victims end up sending their ID and financial details and an up-front 'processing' fee running into thousands of pounds, which the perpetrators then disappear with.

NCIS claims the fraud is responsible for the theft of £150m a year from the UK and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said at a presidential committee on email scams this week that he plans to increase measures to crackdown on 419 criminals in his country.

A committee has been set up to consider recommendations including new legislation and a new agency to deal with the problem.

A spokesman for NCIS told silicon.com that the move will be welcomed by law enforcement agencies around the world but that any measures will need to go to the heart of these operations and target the powerful, rich and well-connected criminals in the region.

"We pick up the small fry and regional co-ordinators but what to date has eluded law enforcement are the really big boys, and some of them are very wealthy and well-connected," he said.

419 is still very much a problem in the UK with the average victim conned out of over £50,000. The NCIS spokesman said that the bigger picture is that this money is used to fund much more serious organised crime.

"We know the criminals are involved in heroin trafficking, immigration crime, vehicle theft and credit card crime," he said.

NCIS will wait to see what recommendations are proposed but said anything that gives law enforcement the chance to disrupt a link in the chain of organised crime is like "pulling the tail of a rather large tiger".

The Nigerian High Commission in London was contacted but was unavailable for comment.