NIGERIA is the source of yet another scam, this time targeted at e-mail users. Previous rackets sourced from that country have involved begging letters purportedly from well-connected people.

This time, a Kent student has received an e-mail from a supposed barrister in Nigeria, seeking an arrangement to transfer money to an overseas account of the recipient's choice. Tristan Collings, a student at Christ Church University College Canterbury, received the e-mail at his college address.

A "barrister" who claimed to be with the Okeaya Inneh law firm wrote to Mr Collings wishing him "compliments of the season, grace, peace and love". He went on to claim he represented the family of the late military dictator General Sani Abacha, who died in 1998.

The e-mail continued: "Since his death, the family has been loosing a lot of money due to vindictive government officials who are bent on dealing with the family. Consequently, the family has asked me to seek for a foreign partner who can work with us as to move out the total sum of US $75 million.

"This money was of course acquired by the late president and is now kept secretly by the family. The transaction requires absolute confidentiality and you would be expected to treat it as such until the funds are moved out of this country to where you intend to receive them. In compliance with this, you are to forward to me your complete names and addresses, confidential telephone and fax numbers."

Needless to say, Mr Collings did not do so but forwarded the e-mail to me to serve as a warning to others. He said: "I know this is a complete scam and I don't know where he got my e-mail address from, but I thought you might like to address this kind of thing so as to stop naive people from falling for these scams."