The emails, which are though to have been sent by Nigerian hackers, were sent to several of Straw's contacts, including council bosses and government chiefs.
Straw acknowledged that emails were delivered to a "significant number of people" in his address book, but said there was no security risk, as it was his constituency email address rather than his ministerial one that was hacked into.
Straw, in his local paper the Lancashire Telegraph, said: "I started getting phone calls from various constituents asking if I was really in Nigeria needing 3,000 dollars.
"It was an issue for constituents, not the government. We are checking all that and I am assured there's no evidence that confidentiality of constituents was affected."
The fraudulent email claimed that Straw was staying in Nigeria's Lagos, while in Africa on an anti-racism project.
The email read: "I misplaced my wallet on my way to the hotel where my money and other valuable things were kept.
"I would like you to assist me with a soft loan urgently to settle my hotel bills and get myself back home."
Many recipients of the email phoned into Straw's office to ask him about it. One person is believed to have responded to the email, but not offered the scammers money.