A new report from Ultrascan entitled 419 Advance Fee Fraud Statistics 2009 [PDF file] finds that advance-fee fraud (a.k.a. 419 fraud) victims lost $9.3 billion in 2009, reaching a total of $41 billion to date.

"Never before have 419 criminals felt so untouchable, even routinely impersonating government authorities and major multinational corporations in order to defraud the public," the report states. "Globally, the efforts of the authorities and the counter-419 efforts of major multinational corporations have had minimal effect on the operations of 419 fraudsters."

Click here [PDF file] to view the Ultrascan report.