(Japanese article)
http://www.nikkei.co.jp/news/shakai/20090112STXKF032009012009.html

International fraud in Japan increased 16 times more than 2004, JETRO reported.
Companies were proposed virtual business deal by email and were defrauded thousands of yens. The foreign ministry alarmed but there happened the case to be a kidnapping for ransom money.

The Japanese foreign ministry announced that these international fraud had happened since around 1980 in African countries. They called those claims "419 claims" because of Nigerian law 419 clause for Fraudulent.

The ministry also reported that criminals had used FAX or letters before, but recently they send emails to thousands companies with false deal information, and they cheated money from some companies who had contacted as response.