The Fake Nigerian Princes’ Pen Pal Scam
In the late 1940s, several American and Canadian newspapers got letters from young Nigerian princes looking for foreign pen pals. Most newspapers obliged and published these letters, but a suspicious few didn’t. “The Day”, a Connecticut (U.S.) newspaper, received a lot of these letters which arrived with insufficient postal stamps hence the paper was forced to pay the U.S. post office the difference on every Nigerian letter. The editor wasn’t happy about this.
It turned out that this pen pal letter scheme was created by a group of Nigerian teenagers using fake royal titles to swindle gullible Americans and Canadians. These fake Nigerian princes asked every foreign pen pal who got in touch with them for money and clothing in return for which they promised to send ivory, calabashes, ebony knives and jewellery from Nigeria. The pen pals then sent the requested items to the fake princes and never heard from them again.
The U.S. Post Office Department received complaints from the parents of duped American teenagers who had sent things to Nigerian princes. It then issued about 50 fraud orders stopping the despatch of packages to certain Nigerian addresses. A fraud investigation was also initiated in conjunction with the Nigerian police.
“Prince Richard of Lagos”, a 16-year-old boy, was arrested by the Nigerian police in September 1949 and whipped 12 times with the cane. Nine other Nigerian youths, using 50 aliases, were also involved in the pen pal racket with him.
U.S. post office estimated that the value of money and items sent to Nigeria by the American victims was considerable.
The late 1940s Nigerian pen pal scam is an early precursor of the Nigerian 419 letter and email scams of the late 1980s and beyond.
Here are some letters from fake Nigerian princes published in 1948 newspapers.
Sire: I be an African Prince of 19 years elderly with 5 feet 8 inches of me tall. I love to having pen pals, I don’t care either sex and either old in years. I will be more than glad if you can do me my obligation. I love to swop materials like snake skins bags for all kind things you got I not got. I hoping for more as 100 letters by next coming mail, hoping air which is more quickly.
Prince Owen B.Etim
13 Ita-Ado St.
Isale-Eko
Lagos, Nigeria.
Source: The Milwaukee Sentinel {January 12, 1948}
Dear editor,
Your sagacious address was seen in daily news in Lagos. My opinion of writing you this is to beg for your advertisement. I would like you to advertise my name to your daily news Citizen. I am in need of pen-pals in different countries.
Yours in true
PRINCE FASASI AJADI YUSUF
29 Freeman Street
Lagos, Nigeria.
Source: Ottawa Citizen {January 23, 1948}
Dear Sir,
Having seen your lovely address from a friend of mine in Lagos, I quickly dicide to communicate you with this simple request, it came to my hearing that you publish names for correspondence. So I make this request with honour and due respect that you may publish my own name so as to secure Pen-Pals correspondence and lovely letters. I think it is necessary to give you a little description of my gently aspect. I am an African prince boy 16 years old and weight approximately 129 pounds and 5 feet 3 inches tall. I have black complexion and my hair is black and soft. I attends a qualified school in Lagos. I am in grade VIII and I am interested in the following subjects, science, chemistry, geograph, swimming, botany, and history in other to know me well I enclose a picture of myself.
My hobbies are swimming, dancing, singing, collecting stamps mints, belt, stationaries, fountain pens, sweater, cameras, dollars, shirts, ankle socks, souvenirs, coins, hankies, slanks, googles, wallets, and also pictures of movie stars and exchange all these with pals.
I will much thankful and generous and greatful if my humble request has a successful reply. May God bless you and gives you a long life and rose prosperity. Amen. I will answer any letter with much thank may I will be much appreciable if you can supply me with the copy of my advertisement. Awaiting for your favourable reply.
Yours faithfully
Moji Ola Sunmonu
Source: The Deseret News {November 21, 1948}
