The advance-fee fraud or “419 scam,” often epitomized by emails from supposed Nigerian princes needing help to transfer large sums, traces back centuries to confidence tricks like the 19th-century Spanish Prisoner scam. Adapted over time to fit evolving communication technologies, these scams exploit narratives of corruption and political chaos, playing on stereotypes and Western cynicism about globalization and African nations, while often involving low-level scammers who are themselves marginalized in corrupt systems. Despite their notoriety and cultural impact, the scammers are usually minor actors, with the greatest profits flowing to higher-level figures engaged in complex fraud and corruption.
https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/a-brief-history-of-the-internets-favorite-scam/