Hallmark Lottery International etc

Guardian Unlimited Technology reprints an LA Times article on 419 scams. Quite interesting. I didn't know about the virtual girlfriend one before now:

The real push comes when the fictional girlfriend (or fiancee), who claims to be in America, goes to Nigeria for business. In a series of 'mishaps', her wallet is stolen and she is held hostage by the hotel owner until she can come up with hundreds of dollars for the bill. She needs a new airline ticket, has to bribe churlish customs officials and gets caught. Finally, she needs a hefty get-out-of-jail bribe."

I mean, most scams rely on the mark being greedy as well as stupid, but the virtual girlfriend one relies on the mark being generous, lonely, and gullible, as well as stupid.