I know you’ve seen those e-mail messages. They come from Dr. Soandso or the widow of Prof. Whoever. In fractured English, the sender says a fortune is available. You have been selected to help retrieve this money. Your cut will be huge. And all you have to do is open a bank account.

Once you’re in, you’re asked to send money. And more money. And more money. You have to pay this fee and bribe that official. On and on it goes, until you are drained.

E-mail made it possible to send these messages to millions of people. Only a few bite. But those who do sometimes turn to theft. They always believe that a few more dollars will make them rich.

This is the 419 scam. It originated in Nigeria. The 419 refers to the section of Nigeria’s Criminal Code that covers the scam.

MSNBC decided to find people who are behind this. Its show, “To Catch a Con Man,” unmasks them.

This is the entire one-hour show. It takes six videos to hold the program. But once I started watching, I couldn’t stop. This is fascinating!