Looks like the Nigerians are finally actually doing something:

It turns out Nigeria is taking measures to fight Internet scams—law enforcement there has shut down close to a thousand websites and made 18 arrests as part of a new initiative to save the nation’s reputation and crack down on Internet scammers. The program, called “Project Eagle Claw,” has only just begun, but Nigerian officials expect it to be fully operational in 2010.

Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) described the initiative as “a renewed bid to clap down” (*clap clap*?) on Internet fraudsters. So far, the agency claims to have shut down 800 scam sites in addition to making the arrests, with many more apparently to come.

EFCC Chairman Farida Waziri said Wednesday during a US address to the National Conference of Black Mayors that Nigeria was working with Microsoft to fully deploy Project Eagle Claw, and that it will soon be able to take down up to 5,000 fraudulent e-mails per month.

Hmm. I expect to get an email soon:

Subject: URGENT NOTICE FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION

DEAR KIND SIR:

It is understandable that you might be a little bit apprehensive because you do not know me but I am Farida Waziri, Chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. I write you this proposal in good faith, believing that I can trust you with the information I am about to reveal to you. I seek your consent because as a result of many arrests of Nigerian entrepreneurs, I have a large sum of monies in the total of US$ 25 MILLION that I must transfer to a bank account overseas.

With the recent change of government in my country, I cannot directly transfer out this money without the help of a foreigner and that is why I am contacting you for an assistance. If you accept to work with me, I want you to state how you wish us to share the funds in percentage, so that both parties will be satisfied. If you give me positive signals, I will initiate this process towards a conclusion.

Your earliest response to this letter will be appreciated.

One would think that every individual on the planet has received enough of these emails that it would have stopped working quite some time ago. It’s been a tired gag for years already. Heck, one of my first posts back in 2002 was on these scams, and it wasn’t new even then. What kind of morons are actually sending money to these guys?

On the other hand, we have millions of people who believe hucksters who say that Jeebus rode on dinosaurs and send them sizable donations on a regular basis so they can build megachurches, Judgment Day theme parks, and TV ministries.

I guess they must be using those mailing lists.