Editing Advance-fee scam (section)

== Countermeasures ==
[[File:Firefox 2.0.0.1 Phising Alert.png|thumb|Screenshot of a suspicious site warning in the [[Firefox]] browser<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/2.0.0.1/releasenotes/ |title=Firefox Release Notes|publisher=Mozilla|access-date=14 September 2010}}</ref>]]
In recent years, efforts have been made by governments, internet companies, and individuals to combat scammers involved in advance-fee fraud and 419 scams. In 2004, the Nigerian government formed the [[Economic and Financial Crimes Commission]] (EFCC) to combat economic and financial crimes, such as advanced-fee fraud.<ref name="EFCC">{{cite web|title=Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act of 2004 |url=http://www.efccnigeria.org/efcc_homepage_files/establishment_act_2004.pdf |publisher=Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Nigeria) |access-date=June 22, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628080831/http://www.efccnigeria.org/efcc_homepage_files/establishment_act_2004.pdf |archive-date=June 28, 2012 }}</ref> In 2009, Nigeria's EFCC announced that they had adopted smart technology developed by [[Microsoft]] to track down fraudulent emails. They hoped to have the service, dubbed "Eagle Claw", running at full capacity to warn a quarter of a million potential victims.<ref name="AFP_2009" />

Some individuals participate in a practice known as [[scam baiting]], in which they pose as potential targets and engage the scammers in lengthy dialogue so as to waste the scammer's time and decrease the time they have available for actual victims.<ref name="Cheng_Jacqui">{{cite news|last=Cheng|first=Jacqui|title=Baiting Nigerian scammers for fun (not so much for profit).|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2009/05/baiting-nigerian-scammers-for-fun-not-so-much-for-profit/|access-date=June 22, 2012|newspaper=[[Ars Technica]]|date=May 11, 2009}}</ref> Likewise, the website [[Artists Against 419]], set-up by volunteers, offers a public database with information on scam websites. They work closely together with [[Anti-Phishing Working Group|APWG]] to share their data with financial institutions and cybersecurity companies.