Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria's finance minister, said she had led planning for a campaign against e-mail fraud that will enlist law enforcement officials and include a global advertising campaign to warn potential victims.

"As Nigeria's minister of finance, I am extremely angry at these people who conduct fraud by e-mail," Ngozi said in an interview at the World Economic Forum. "We will no longer allow them ruin our country's reputation."

Ngozi, who joined the cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo in May, said that a crackdown on the e-mail fraudsters must be a key part of reforms intended to build investor confidence in Nigeria.

The schemes, known as "advance fee fraud" or "4-1-9" for the section of Nigeria's penal code that they contravene, involve fraudsters promising millions of dollars if the e-mail recipient sends bank details and advance payment.

Ngozi said she could not estimate the amount of money sent to the fraudsters, but said she knew of cases where people lost up to $100,000. "Once they get bank details, the amount lost goes well beyond the money originally requested," Ngozi said. "They can empty entire bank accounts."

Ambassadors from Nigeria have been asked to raise the issue with governments around the world. In addition, the police will be trained in combating cybercrime, a Financial Intelligence Unit will be created and new legislation to curb money laundering will be pushed through Parliament within the next four months, she said.

For all her anger at those behind the scheme, however, Ngozi said she had little sympathy for the victims. "Those responding are driven by simple greed to join a criminal activity," Ngozi said. "Most of the letters offer access to money supposedly stolen from the Nigerian government."

In addition to readily joining a criminal undertaking, Ngozi said anyone responding to the ads lacked common sense to an extent that astounds most Nigerians.

"In Nigeria, we are always amazed that anyone could be so stupid as to respond to such an offer," Ngozi said. "People do not deserve to lose their money, but you do have to be extremely greedy and stupid to respond."

In addition to the financial credibility of such transactions, bad grammar should be a quick tip-off to potential victims, she added. "These messages are written in such poor English with bad spelling," Ngozi said. "Don't they realize that Nigeria was a British colony and anyone with an education speaks perfect English?"

Ngozi said Nigeria had recently arrested three people who allegedly ran an e-mail fraud ring, but said other scammers were cropping up.

Ngozi said some fraudulent e-mail from other countries still named Nigeria as the source. "These people ruin our reputation, but there is little we can do," Ngozi said. "The most important thing is to inform people to help them avoid getting caught up."

International Herald Tribune