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Story URL: http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/thespamreport/0,39025001,10004286,00.htm

Global Anti-Spam Day: A 'Nigerian' 419 scam special
silicon.com joins in the bid to keep spam in the public eye...

By Will Sturgeon

Published: Wednesday 21 May 2003

Today is the first Global Anti-Spam Day - which is kicking off a series of events being run to raise the profile of the spam epidemic plaguing end users' email inboxes.

This year we have run a great deal of spam coverage, doing our bit to keep this problem on the news agenda. But one story in particular proved hugely popular with our readers - when silicon.com replied to a 'too good to be true' offer from a Nigerian 419 scammer calling himself Madu Frank.

To mark Global Anti-Spam Day, here it is again:

'Nigerian' money scam: What happens when you reply? Meet Mr Madu Frank in a silicon.com special...

This article sparked a massive amount of interest at the time and gave rise to a number of follow-up articles - much of it based on the reader feedback we received. We'll be bringing you more on spam over the coming weeks, culminating a special report on the subject, though it's safe to say so-called 419 scams are just the tip of the iceberg. Until then...

Best of Reader Comments: Your Nigerian email scam feedback "First, I must solicit your strictest confidence in this transaction, this is by virtue of its nature as being utterly confidential and top secret..." Yeah right...

Nigerian money scams: What should we do?Some practical advice...

Who's looking after the fortune of the dead president of Nigeria? And more to the point - who's still falling for this scam...?

Nigerian scam update: The crackdown continues What's being done to fight this fraud and how big a problem is it really?

Nigerian 419 scams: Your questions answered Everything you wanted to know and weren't afraid to ask...

Nigerian 419 scam: What is Hotmail doing about it? 'Not enough' you say?

419 scam emails: ISPs - admit you have a problem It's the first step towards recovery...

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