Giving Compass' Take:

· Even with advancing technology, humans continue to fall for harmful scams. Writing for The Conversation, Frank T. McAndrew discusses the countless victims impacted by scams and explains that they exploit human, not technological, vulnerabilities.

· How are these matters addressed? Why do humans trust online individuals they have never met? What is being done to spread the word about these scams?

· Stay in the know–here's how you can avoid scams when giving.

“Nigerian Prince” scams are also known as “419 scams,” a reference to the Nigerian penal code designed to deal with them. They are notoriously difficult to prosecute for both Nigerian and foreign authorities. Victims are often too ashamed to pursue the case, and even when they do, the trail quickly goes cold.

In its earliest incarnations, the scam involved someone claiming to be a Nigerian prince sending a target an email saying he desperately needed help smuggling wealth out of his country. All the target needed to do was provide a bank account number or send a foreign processing fee to help the prince out of a jam, and then he would show his gratitude with a generous kickback.

These scams really do appear to have begun in Nigeria, but they can now come from almost anywhere – people posing as Syrian government officials is one the current favorites. Nevertheless, the “Nigerian Prince” moniker persists.

But today’s 419 scams can involve dating websites, like the one that ensnared Maria Grette. Wealthy orphans claiming to need an adult sponsor, lottery winners saying they’re required to share their winnings with others, and inheritances trapped in banks due to civil war are also common ploys.

Read the full article about 'Nigerian Prince' scams by Frank T. McAndrew at The Conversation.