From Spanish Prisoners to Nigerian Princes, advance fee scams have endured for centuries, relying on victims to follow the same formula: pay first, regret later.

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• (00:00) - Introduction to Advanced Fee Scams
• (00:57) - Podcast Introduction and Listener Interaction
• (06:25) - Historical Background of Advanced Fee Scams
• (12:51) - Modern Variations and Techniques
• (16:12) - Psychological Manipulation in Scams
• (21:26) - Case Studies of Advanced Fee Scams
• (28:47) - How to Spot and Avoid Scams
• (35:28) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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Sources:

• Advance-fee scam [Wikipedia]
• Spanish Prisoner [Wikipedia]
• Pigeon drop [Wikipedia]
• The 9 Lives of the Spanish Prisoner, the Treasure-Dangling Scam That Won’t Die [Atlas Obscura]
• AN OLD SWINDLE REVIVED. [NYT/TimesMachine]
• Nigerian Scams [Know Your Meme]
• We’re All Somebody’s Fool | Dan Simons & Chris Chabris [OMF]
• The Psychology Behind Advance Fee Scams [Fraud, Risk and Compliance]
• Chief Executive Officer And Orchestrator Of $10 Million Advance Fee And Alaskan Gold Mine Investment Schemes Sentenced To More Than 20 Years’ Imprisonment [DOJ]
• After Bilking Victims of $10 Million, Serial Swindler Is Sentenced to Nearly 22 Years [NYT]
• Lengthy Prison Term for Advance Fee Fraudster [FBI]
• Two Convicted in Multi-Million-Dollar Advance Fee and Alaskan Gold Mine Investment Schemes [FBI]
• The centuries-old scam still fooling thousands every year [Telegraph]
• Almost 800 arrested over Nigerian crypto-romance scam [Reuters]
• Nigeria investigates nearly 800 suspects arrested in massive cybercrime raid [VOA]
• EFCC bursts syndicate run by foreigners in Lagos operating crypto investment, romance scam [Ripples Nigeria]
• We’re Not a Bank in Kansas Anymore [OMF]
• 363: Enforcers [This American Life]