While the Nigerian "Advance Fee" scam seems to be fairly common knowledge among younger internet users, there are many old people that are not aware of such scams. The US Government considered it a 419 scam and recommends anyone who receives such communication to contact the FBI or Secret Service. The Australian Government goes even further and warns their citizens about how the Nigerian scam works and which signs to look out for. Whatever you do, DO NOT SEND THEM MONEY, IT IS A SCAM. NIGERIA HAS NO PRINCE.
But one thing is for sure: If there ever was a real prince of Nigeria, he would have a hard time emailing anyone.