Some scammers who apparently are a bit behind the times are lighting up fax lines in southern Idaho - and elsewhere in the country - with a Nigerian letter scam pitch. “We just have been inundated since 3 p.m.,” said Robb Hicken of the Better Business Bureau in Boise. “Our phone lines are just going off the hook.”

Such scams promise riches if the recipient will just kindly help the desperate sender, usually identified as a relative of an official or member of a royal family, get a large sum of money out of his country to the U.S., for a handsome fee. In reality, victims get nothing except ripped off.

Hicken said such scams most recently have been going out by text; before that, they typically came in spam emails. Before that, faxes were more common, and before that, they arrived in the mail. “We just haven't seen fax scams forever,” he said. “Sounds like somebody bought a whole list of fax numbers.” Best advice for those who receive the pitch: Ignore it. And above all, don't send money or respond with personal information.

The Eastern Washington, North Idaho, Montana Better Busines Bureau sent out a warning related to ads by a company offering “Rich Dad” financial training sessions in Kennewick and in Spokane this week.

The BBB email specifically notes that the company, RichDad Education, has earned an “F” rating with the BBB back in its home state of Florida. That score results from failure to respond to complaints and questions.

The BBB's release and further information on the company is at this link.

The Better Business Bureau serving Eastern Washington, North Idaho and Montana has noticed a rash of spam efforts directed at people who might be members of the Bank of Whitman.

The BBB said, in an announcement, that people are getting message purportedly from the bank.

The messages cover a variety of possible contact reasons; “your account is closed” or “your account needs to be updated” are two examples mentioned. Some come in text messages, others in e-mail.

As with any curious or unexpected message from any bank, the BBB wants people to avoid responding. That’s rule one.