A Nigerian-based international network of fraudsters preying on greedy and gullible people they trick into believing elaborate "get rich quick" scams, is using Sea Point internet cafés to perpetrate their crimes.

Dubbed the 419s, after the 4-1-9 penal code in the South African justice system, the gang contacts potential victims including business executives and top earning professionals, asking them for money up front to secure their involvement in a secret transaction that could supposedly make them millions of dollars.

The 419 scam, also known as advance fee fraud, has become notorious globally. Police agencies worldwide have registered 419 cases but a relatively small number of culprits have been apprehended.

A Cape Town commercial crime expert said members of the 419 syndicate send out e-mails marked "urgent" or "confidential" with a promise, often from a state department, that millions of dollars will be paid for assistance once the transaction was completed.

A Sea Point internet café owner said she was "well aware" of some of her clients creating "funny letters".

One owner said the scammers used untraceable e-mail addresses while communicating with victims.

Police said: "The tricksters always have some sort of scheme or plausible reason for contacting a victim - an inheritance which was tied-up, valuable gems in boxes which could be moved out of Nigeria, millions of dollars of dirty money which need to be laundered or cash 'frozen' by government, excess oil or other merchandise up for grabs.

"In other letters and e-mails the con artists pose as sons of former military dictators laying claim to millions of dollars in offshore accounts. Others say they're chiefs of villages with exclusive access to oil and diamond concessions."

Most 419 members present themselves as professionals or high-ranking former government officials or important civil servants and use faked letterheads.

They normally seek a foreign "partner" to help them in the scheme. They then ask for personal information such as a private or business letterhead, banking information and a private phone number.

Local commercial branch investigators are dealing with piles of dockets involving 419 scammers.

In Nigeria police arrested more than 50 suspects last year. The Nigerian police department has set up a website where victims can report the scams.

With the help of Interpol and the United States Secret Service, police worldwide are identifying and shutting down internet sites.

Globally lobby groups are also pushing for legislation to deregister banks that accept large cash transfers from dubious sources.

Commercial detectives are in contact with internet café owners in a bid to establish the identity of the fraudsters but the culprits were "quite elusive", according to a source in the commercial unit.