An e-mail scam that originated in Nigeria has reached the ISU campus.

Several ISU students reported receiving e-mails through their ISU e-mail accounts asking for bank account numbers and other personal information, said Eric McGlinchey, associate professor of political science. However, if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is, McGlinchey said.

The e-mails, letters and faxes, predominately originating from Nigeria, have several versions, McGlinchey said.

In one e-mail, the solicitor claims the owner of a large Nigerian oil company has died without leaving his fortune to anyone. The sender claims if the targeted individual provides them with their bank account number, they will transfer 30 percent of the money into their account or provide some other financial benefit. In reality, the solicitor steals money electronically from the targeted individual’s bank account, McGlinchey said.

In addition to a bank account number, McGlinchy said senders will often ask for a passport and photo. Government of the Student Body president Mike Banasiak said he received a similar e-mail last month.

“It sounded very fraudulent,” he said. “It sounded unbelievable that someone wanted to transfer millions of dollars into my bank account.”

Olamide Shadiya, junior in chemical engineering and president of the Nigerian Student Union, said she also received an e-mail two weeks ago.

“I just deleted it right away,” she said.

According to CNN.com, in Nigeria, the scam is referred to as 419, which is a colloquialism for advance-fee fraud.

The 419 Coalition Web site, http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal/, is designed to help educate people on the scam. According to the Web site, although most of the letters and e-mails are traceable back to Nigeria, the country isn’t the only one sending the e-mails. Others have originated from West African nations such as Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Togo.

According to the Web site, the Nigerian e-mail ploy is the third- to fifth-largest industry in Nigeria and money stolen by 419 operations are almost never recovered for victims.

The Web site advises those who have suffered financial loss from the scam to contact the field office of the U.S. Secret Service.

McGlinchey advised anyone who receives a suspicious e-mail to simply delete it.