There are scam-busting sites that have online databases of the names scammers use, their email addresses, the stock copy/paste scam emails, phone numbers and stolen pictures. You could start your search and ask at one of those sites.

Do you know how to check the header of a received email? If not, you could google for information. Being able to read the header to determine the geographic location an email originated from will help you weed out the most obvious scams and scammers. Then delete and block that scammer. Don't bother to tell him that you know he is a scammer, it isn't worth your effort. He has one job in life, convincing victims to send him their hard-earned cash.

Whenever suspicious or just plain curious, google everything, website addresses, names used, companies mentioned, phone numbers given, all email addresses, even sentences from the emails as you might be unpleasantly surprised at what you find already posted online. You can also post/ask here and every scam-warner-anti-fraud-busting site you can find before taking a chance and losing money to a scammer.

6 "Rules to follow" to avoid most fake jobs:

1) Job asks you to use your personal bank account and/or open a new one.

2) Job asks you to print/mail/cash a check or money order.

3) Job asks you to use Western Union or moneygram in any capacity.

4) Job asks you to accept packages and re-ship them on to anyone.

5) Job asks you to pay visas, travel fees via Western Union or moneygram.

6) Job asks you to sign up for a credit reporting or identity verification site.

Avoiding all jobs that mention any of the above listed 'red flags' and you will miss nearly all fake jobs. Only scammers ask you to do any of the above. No. Exceptions. Ever. For any reason.

If you google "fake check cashing job", "fraud Western Union scam", "fake inheritance bank scam" or something similar you will find hundreds of posts from victims and near-victims of scams.

This article from back in 2008 explains how the scam works

http://consumerist.com/2008/10/how-a-nig...

Craiglist is ONLY for face to face CASH transactions. Period.

Paypal does not allow ANY accounts in Nigeria due to fraud

You have NO protection from Paypal if you do not ship to a verified address, which cannot be in Nigeria

Some of these ads have been reprinted here, they almost comical in the ways these 419 scams make a case for a seller to send them back money.

There's a site that guides you on how to waste the scam artists time, leaving them less time to do real harm. There was an investigation TV show that got a scammer to fly to a different country with the promise of a payoff.

http://www.419eater.com/

Here's an information site on this sort of scam

http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal/

The Nigerian pop song "I will chop your dollar" celebrating such scams.