DENVER -- Officials in Douglas County said they've noticed an increase in inquiries from citizens about e-mail scams involving the "Nigerian money offer." The scams are also known as a "4-1-9" or "advance fee fraud" scheme.

The e-mails usually start out as someone connected with an African government wanting to transfer millions of dollars to the United States and offering 5 to 20 percent of the money. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said the scams can vary from overbudgeted money that the sender has to get rid of to an invitation to be a part of a secure investment program. Other emails ask for money to be sent to cover fees, taxes and transfers. The e-mails conclude by asking for bank information so the money can be transferred.

One Douglas County victim lost $51,988.25 to one of these e-mail scams, Douglas County officials said Tuesday. They asked everyone to be on the lookout for them. Each of the scams are easy to spot because they have the same basic characteristics:

• They are unsolicited.
• They claim to be offering to share a large amount of money from an African country.
• They emphasize the "urgency" and "secrecy" of the deal.
• They require the victim to pay fees and taxes before the money will be sent..

In response to this growing epidemic, the U.S. Secret Service has established "Operation 4-1-9" designed to target Nigerian advance fee fraud on an international basis. The Financial Crimes Division of the Secret Service receives approximately 100 telephone calls from victims/potential victims and 300 to 500 pieces of related correspondence per day.

If a you have been victim of a crime related to a fraudulent solicitation you are encouraged to call you local law enforcement agency and report the crime immediately. If you receive an e-mail similar to the above scheme or any other money scam, and have not be a victim, you can send the email to 419.fcd@usss.treas.gov. Please include the appropriate Internet e-mail address headers.

Additional Resources:

• Nigerian Scam E-Mail
• Snopes.com: Nigerian Scam Explained
• Better Business Bureau Release
• Secret Service: Advance-Fee Scams To Hi-Tech