Sydney man held over 'Nigerian' email scam

A 39-year-old Sydney man is due in court today in connection with multi-million-dollar internet scam based in Australia.

A 39-year-old Sydney man is due in court today in connection with multi-million-dollar internet scam based in Australia.

The so-called Nigerian or West African scam involved fraudsters sending spam emails telling people they could claim millions of dollars of lottery winnings, an inheritance, or a business opportunity as long as they first sent money or bank account or credit card details.

The man was arrested following a four-month investigation, and was the first arrest of a key Australian allegedly involved in the global scam.

The man is now facing 17 charges in relation to his alleged part in the scam.