'Nigerian' scammers busted

More than 300 people have been arrested in Malaga, Spain as part of an investigation into a £207m internet lottery scam. According to Spanish media reports, the FBI worked alongside Spanish authorities in what is believed to be the biggest round-up of so-called 419 or "Nigerian email" scammers. Officers raided 166 properties - seizing 2,000 mobile phones, 327 computers, 165 fax machines, and 218,000 Euros (£151,000) in cash. According to officials, the scam is said to have claimed over 20,000 victims in 45 countries including the UK, United States, France, Germany, Australia and Japan. Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, said: "Anyone who has an email account which isn't protected by anti-spam software will be all too familiar with email scams which claim they have won fortunes, or offer rewards for anyone prepared to help move money from far flung countries. "The sad fact is that these scams are still managing to fool people, and organised criminal gangs are profiting from the naivety of internet users. These arrests represent a significant victory for the computer crime authorities, but the battle is far from over."