The con artists mail letters to victims and ask them to fax their bank account number and the telephone and fax numbers of their bank. The victims never see a dime of the money. Some victims have even been coerced into flying to Nigeria to receive their payment, where more money is extorted from them to let them go free. This scam started more than a decade ago. Although it is reported that fewer than 1 percent of recipients fall for the scam, the numbers could possibly be higher because some people may be too embarrassed to report the crime.
Con artists are, by nature, very persuasive people.