joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "Master: Joseph" <masterjosephlaboso@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: josephlabos0@yahoo.co.jp
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:59:11 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: From: Master Joseph Laboso.


From: Master Joseph Laboso.
Address: 30 Leicester Square,
London, United Kingdom.

Good day,
Best compliments of the Day. I am deeply sorry if I have in any manner disturbed your privacy. I just feel like emptying myself to you to confide in you, since I am confused with frustration and hardship. My Ernest prayer is that you find this mail in good health and blessings.
My name is Master Joseph Laboso, from Kenya 21 years old and son of the former Kenyan Assistant Minister of Home Affairs late Mrs. Lorna Laboso who died on Tuesday 10th June 2008 along the Cessna 210 plane crash which was heading to Kericho in a remote area called Kajonga in western Kenya as You can read more on the crash below:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/06/10/kenya.crash/index.html
Although this mail might comes to you as a surprise because we haven't met before, but please consider it as a divine wish and accept it with a deep sense of humanity, I believe you will look into my condition and listen to my cry and consider me to be like your own brother or close friend. Earnestly I am writing this mail with tears and sorrow from my heart due to the condition i find myself after the passing away of my parent and notwithstanding the whole tragic feel i was molested and rejected without any cause simply because my father had died earlier and my late mother was the one taking care of me. Thereafter the funeral of my Mother, my uncle with their African mentality conspired and sold off my Mother's properties worth millions of dollar to an Italian expert rate and shared the money among them living almost nothing for me.
One faithful morning as i tried to open my mother's briefcase, I found an important document with which she had deposited some money in a bank in London United Kingdom which she uses my name as the next of kin. I travelled down to London United Kingdom to withdraw some of the money but the Bank Director whom I met in person highlighted me on my mother's instruction to the bank concerning the money and how it should be withdrawn that only on the account that I should reach the age of 25years or I should present to the bank an honest and worthy trustee who will assist me in reclaiming the fund and transfer it into his account for an investment as i finish up my education. In my search for a reliable person i have found you and I want you to help me out now.
I believe that you will not betray my trust on you but rather take me as your own son or close friend because right now i am suffering terrible here in London United Kingdom, because I don’t have anybody to rescue me from this strange situation in a foreign land.
I have chosen to contact you after my prayers and i was convinced that you will be the true one to rescue me from this trouble, I have the money confirmed in the bank $4.2 Million in their records as unclaimed bill in my mother’s account and i have the death certificate and the deposit certificate of the fund stating as proof of my geniality. I shall compensate you with 15% of the whole money in as much as you could help me make the transfer of this money into your account successfully. I wait upon your positive response showing your interest and ability to carry out this transaction and in the light of the above i shall appreciate your urgent message indicating your willingness to help me with your entire mind to achieve this successfully.
Thanks and God bless you as i look forward to seeing your reply.
Extend my warmest regards to your entire family.
Yours faithful,
Master Joseph Laboso.



Anti-fraud resources: