TITLE: (don't keep me) Scamming on The Telephone!
SCAMMER NAME: Lucas Kabongo (AKA Frank Kabongo)
SCAMMER LOCATION: Lagos, Nigeria
MISC: Claims to be in South Africa at first.
SCAMBAITER: Shiver Metimbers
Lucas Kabongo attempts a typical 419 scam. In his opening letter
he claims to be in South Africa, but it transpires he is actually
in Lagos, Nigeria.
Frank shouldn't have contacted me - he's now down by $283+ in
cash and shipping, and God only knows how much he's spent on international
telephone calls
From: Lucas Kabongo
Date: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 1:28 PM
Subject: mail from Mr.Lucas Kabongo
From Mr.Lucas Kabongo
20 SILVER CRESCENT,
Johannesburg,South
Greetings,
My name is Mr.Lucas Kabongo, I am a consulting auditor with
one of the prime banks here in South Africa. I am writing in respect
of a foreign customer of my client bank who perished with his whole
families on 25TH JULY, 2000 in CONCORDE PLANE CRASH [Flight AF4590]
with the whole passengers on board.
During the course of my auditing work with my client bank, I
discovered an account opened in the bank in 1998 by this great late
INDUSTRIALIST who died without a written or oral 'WILL' attached
to the account. Since his death, I further investigated with keen
interest to see if I can get any relative of the late industrialist
but all has proved abortive as no one has come to claim his funds
and no other person knows about this account or anything concerning
it. The account has no other beneficiary and until his death he
was the CEO of his company.
The total amount involved is $36,000,000.00 USD.[Thirty Six
Million United States Dollar]. We wish to start the first transfer
with $10,000,000.00[Ten million] and upon successful transaction
without any disappointment from your side, we shall re-apply for
the transfer of the remaining balance to your account.
I have secretly discussed this matter with a close confidant
attorney whom I must involve in order to assist us produce legal
back-up documents which would substantiate your claims and also
enable us have a smooth and successful transfer of the fund to any
foreign bank account which you are going to nominate. On this note,
I decided to seek for a reliable foreigner who will act as the foreign
beneficiary of
the fund from the deceased by providing his/her bank account where
the fund will be transferred.
The banking ethics here does not allow such money to stay more
than six years without claim hence the money will be recalled to
the government treasury as unclaimed after this long period of dormancy.
In view of this I got your contact through my personal search
to see if you can assist by providing your safe bank account for
the transfer or find a reliable person who will be capable of receiving
such amount in
his or her personal account. At the conclusion of the transfer 65%
of the fund will be for me, I will give you 20% of the total transfer
sum, 10% for charity both in Africa and in your country while the
remaining 5% will be set aside to settle expenses both parties might
incure during the transfer process.
Upon the receipt of your reply, I will send to you a detailed
information about the transaction. I will not fail to bring to your
notice that this business is 100% risk and trouble free and that
you should not
entertain any fear as all modalities for fund transfer can be finalized
within 7 to 9 banking days, after you apply to the bank as the beneficiary
of the fund from
the deceased.
When you receive this letter. I look forward to your earliest
reply through my private emai address [email protected]
and telephone number +874-763-591XXX. Fax number+874 763 591XXX.
Just add your international dial out code number and you will get
through.
You should also include your private fax and phone
numbers for easy and safe communication.
Respectfully yours,
Mr.Lucas Kabongo
OK, so it's your standard 419 fodder, however, I have been planning
what to do with my next 419 scammer in advance, and so Lucas is
led into a 'accidentally sent message' trap. Time for an explanation
of what a 'accidentally sent message' is! Are you sitting comfortably,
then I'll begin:
The accidentally sent message setup works like this: You reply
to the initial scam email by pretending to have accidentally contacted
the wrong person. Of course, as we are dealing with scammer, it
is only right to use money as bait!
In fact, the scammers themselves were probably the first people
to try this technique, contacting potential victims 'by mistake'
to tell them millions are waiting.
I am about to reply to Lucas, pretending to be a victim who
has already sent money to another scammer. Thinking that I have
already sent a few thousand dollars to a scammer, I am hoping THIS
real scammer will of course be even more compliant to my requests,
as he will assume I have already been dumb enough to send cash and
so am an easy target.
I reply to Mr. Kabongo's email pretending that I have emailed
him by mistake assuming he is the same (fake) scammer I have already
sent money to. My email also includes a couple of totally fake previous
correspondences between myself and my fake scammer.
Here's my reply to Lucas, but for the purposes of this scambait
I will change the name from Lucas to Frank. Let's see if Lucas takes
on my fake scammer's identity. I'll give you all one guess!
From: Mr. Willie Stroker
To: Frank Kabongo
Willie Stroker
Managing Director
Creature Heaven Butchers
www.creatureheaven.com
Dear Frank,
I have emailed you three times already, but it seems that there
may be some problem with your email as I have not yet received a
reply and now your old mailbox no longer seems to work. I found
another letter in my inbox which I am sure was from you so I am
trying this email address also. I can't understand it. Your telephone
number no longer seems to work either.
I have withdrawn the $15,250 payment from the bank as our agreement
requires, and I am ready to send it to you by Western Union Money
Transfer as before. Before I send it to you, of course we need to
follow our agreed procedure:
1. Again you will need to send me in cash the amount of $200 via
postal courier to my business address as a "guarantee fee".
As before this will of course be returned to you.
2. I need the name and details of the person you want me to transfer
the $15,250 payment to.
One receipt of the $200 guarantee fee (by fast courier in in cash
as before), I will then transfer the full amount of fifteen thousand
two hundred and fifty dollars to your designated representative.
Please remember that I cannot make the $15,250 payment until I receive
the $200 guarantee payment.
One final thing Nelson, my new private telephone number is (UK)
+44 7017 414 XXX
I very much look forward to hearing from you very soon.
Take care my brother,
Willie Stroker
Managing Director
Creature Heaven Butchers
www.creatureheaven.com
[Now come the fake email exchanges between "Frank" and
myself which I include in this initial ASEM]
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Frank Kabongo
>Sent: Wednesday, Sept 1, 2004 12:10 PM
>Subject: PAYMENT HAS BEEN RECIVED THANK YOU
>
>
>FROM THE DESK OF
>DR. FRANK KABONGO
>N N P C.
>
>MY DEAR FRIEND WILLIE
>
>I WOULD LIKE TO THANKS YOU VERY MUCH FOR SENDING ME THE $3,270
DEMMURAGE PAYMENT WHICH MY PARTNER MR. FRED OBINNA COLLECTED TODAY
FROM
>THE WESTERN UNION OFFICE. THE MONEY HAS NOW BEEN PASSED TO THE
TRUNK HOLDING COMPANY AND NOW ALL WE AWAIT IS THE FINAL FEE PAYMENT.
>THANK YOU VERY MUCH SIR FOR SENDING THE PAYMENT SO QUICKLY.
>
>AS YOU KNOW THIS PAYMENT WAS THE FIRST OF TWO PAYMENTS DUE IN
ORDER TO PROCESS THE TRANSFER OF THE $23,000,000. THE SECOND AND
FINAL >PAYMENT OF $15,250 IS DUE BY FRIDAY THE 3RD OF SEPTEMBER.
I TRUST THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE THIS PAYMENT ON THE DUE DATE
AS YOU HAVE >PROMISED. I SHALL AWAIT YOUR REPLY AND THEN I WILL
FORWARD DETAILS OF THE PERSON YOU WILL NEED TO SEND THE WESTERN
UNION PAYMENT TO.
>
>OF COURSE AS I HAVE PROMISED TO YOU I WILL FIRST FORWARD YOU
THE $200 GUARRENTEE PAYMENT IN CASH VIA COURIER TO YOUR PRIVATE
ADDRESS AND AS BEFORE >ON RECEPT YOU CAN THEN FORWARD THE $15,250
>
>PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR RECIPT OF THIS EMAIL AND I WILL MAKE IMMEDIATE
ARRANGEMENTS TO SEND THE SECOND $200 PAYMENT TO YOU.
>
>GOD BLESS YOU MY GOOD FRIEND.
>
>FRANK KABONGO
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Willie Stroker
>Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2004 09.13 AM
>Subject: Payment sent - receipt attached
>
>Willie Stroker
>Managing Director
>Creature Heaven Butchers
>www.creatureheaven.com
>
>
>Dear Frank,
>
>Thank you for the $200 guarantee payment. I can confirm to you
that your $200 payment arrived at my Bolton offices this morning.
Thank you for sending it so >quickly.
>
>As I promised I can now confirm to you that as your instructions
requested I have sent a payment of $3,270 to your representative
via Western Union money >transfer. As I promised I have also
returned the $200 guarantee payment you made to me as well. I have
attached a photocopy of the western union payment receipt >as
you requested. If you are asked a security question, the answer
is "1942".
>
>I shall prepare to make the second and final instalment as soon
as I receive confirmation that you have received my $3,270 payment.
>
>Please let me know as soon as possible when you have received
the $3,270 payment.
>As you have requested I have also attached my passport to this
email.
[The reason for attaching the passport was to try to add a little
more realism for Lucas AKA Frank!]
>God bless you.
>
>Willie Stroker
>Managing Director
>Creature Heaven Butchers
>www.creatureheaven.com
Don't know why, but when I wanted a picture for Willie Stroker's
passport, George Michael was the first name that came into my head
;)
As you can see, a also created a fake company website www.creatureheaven.com
to add some extra realism to the scambait. It's nothing special,
just a single page, but that's all you need to fool these dumbasses'.
Note that my fake scammer agreed to send me a $200 "guarantee
fee" before I sent in my fee. Lucas will see the above emails
and realise a). That I DO send cash, and lots of it, and b). a guarantee
fee of $200 is required. Lucas should be enormously encouraged by
the fact that he thinks I really have sent some scammer $3,270 so
he knows I am a guy who pays out! It may well be worth him doing
something he would otherwise refuse.
[As expected, Lucas decides he's onto a winner here and changes
his name to Frank]
From: Frank Kabongo
Date: Friday, September 17, 2004 4:10 PM
Subject: Is this really you?
Dear Willie,
I got your mail in my private mail account and was very happy i
am very sorry that I have lost the former account which you know
well.I also got your new telephone number which you sent in your
mail.
Please Willie for security purposes I have not called on the new
number till now because I want to be sure it is really you that
wrote me and I have also gotten a new mobile number which I like
you to call on as soon as you receive this mail.Here is the number
234-80-37124XXX. I awaits you call and mail on this particular email
account.
Thanks once again,
Your trusted friend ,
Frank
From: Mr. Willie Stroker
To: Frank Kabongo
Willie Stroker
Managing Director
Creature Heaven Butchers
www.creatureheaven.com
Dear Frank,
I confirm receipt of your email below, and not my new number of
my private villa which is (UK) +44 7017 417 XXX. You may call at
anytime as if I am not home the number will be redirected to my
mobile.
Please hurry with the guarantee fee. As I told you on August 20th,
I am flying out to Singapore for a very important contract signing
and I will be away for 8 weeks. During this time I will not be able
to conclude our business. I leave in 10 days time, so it is very
important that we get this deal finalised very quickly. I have now
withdrawn the $15,250 and I have it here in my office in cash. As
soon as I receive your guarantee by postal courier fee as before
I will transfer the total amount to you immediately.
Again it is very important you act fast. I presume you still have
the address of my XXXXX office to send the guarantee payment by
postal courier?
[Of course he doesn't have my address. Why should he? He's stolen
another scammer's victim!]
With kind regards,
Willie Stroker
Managing Director
Creature Heaven Butchers
www.creatureheaven.com
Shortly after my email above, I get a call from "Frank"
agreeing to my fee request:
Date: 17 Sept 2004 Frank
Kabongo - 300k MP3 - 2 minutes 16 seconds
[Is it really this easy to get cash from these idiots?!]
Willie Stroker
Managing Director
Creature Heaven Butchers
www.creatureheaven.com
Dear Frank,
My address is below. Please remember not to tell the courier you
are sending cash. Put the money into a birthday card of magazine
as you did before.
I have the $15,250 payment here and I will transfer it the same
day that your payment arrives and hopefully we can have this business
completed very quickly.
Mr. W. Stroker.
Managing Director
193 XXX XXXX XX
XXXX XXXXX
XXXXXXX
XXX XXX
UNITED KINGDOM
Please let me know the tracking number as soon as you have it so
that I can make sure I am in my office to receive your package.
I will contact you again as soon as the package arrives.
With kind regards,
Willie Stroker
Managing Director
Creature Heaven Butchers
www.creatureheaven.com
Frank calls again to confirm our arrangement and the sending
of the cash
Date: 18 Sept 2004 Frank
Kabongo - 380k MP3 - 2 minutes 52 seconds
[Note: I edited this audio to leave out my FAX number. I don't
want it broadcast all over the Net!]
From: Mr. Willie Stroker
To: Frank Kabongo
Willie Stroker
Managing Director
Creature Heaven Butchers
www.creatureheaven.com
Dear Frank,
Thank you for your email and the confirmation. Thank you also for
your nice phone call, and I look forward to speaking with you again
soon.
Of course as I have promised, I will contact you immediately that
your package arrives.
Take care,
Willie Stroker
Managing Director
Creature Heaven Butchers
www.creatureheaven.com
I receive a fax of the shipping receipt from Frank:
[Some details removed to protect my identity!]
Frank calls to see what's happening with his package.
Date: 20 Sept 2004 Frank
Kabongo - 254k MP3 - 1 minutes 55 seconds
The day after, and frank calls again.
Date: 21 Sept 2004 Frank
Kabongo - 207k MP3 - 1 minutes 33 seconds
Tracking on the FedEx site is now working, and and frank calls
yet again!
Date: 22 Sept 2004 Frank
Kabongo - 228k MP3 - 1 minutes 43 seconds
The package is nearing its destination, and your guessed it,
Frank calls once more!
Date: 23 Sept 2004 Frank
Kabongo - 215k MP3 - 1 minutes 37 seconds
Frank REALLY needs to know where the package is, sadly, I REALLY
wasn't there to receive it!
Date: 23 Sept 2004 Frank
Kabongo - 222k MP3 - 1 minutes 40 seconds
As expected, Frank calls again just an hour later....
Date: 23 Sept 2004 Frank
Kabongo - 137k MP3 - 1 minutes 9 seconds
I'll cut things down a bit because Frank called about 7 times
yesterday, and I don't know about you, but I'm getting bored of
Frank's voice! Anyway, I told him the FedEx package could only be
collected today (24th).
Here's Franky......
Date: 24 Sept 2004 Frank
Kabongo - 314k MP3 - 2 minutes 22 seconds
Well at last the FedEx package does arrive, however, when I
opened it there was no cash to be seen at all! I'll wait for Frank
to call me and see what excuse he comes up with. In the meantime,
pictures of the packages are below. You can look at them whilst
we wait for Frank's call, and I'm sure we won't have long to wait!
The FedEx package
Some of the contents, but WHERE is the $200?
Here comes Frank again, and time to give him the bad news.
Date: 24 Sept 2004 Frank
Kabongo - 1.1 meg MP3 - 8 minutes 20 seconds
I have to admit, Frank does seem genuinely shocked, perhaps
someone HAS stolen the $200. Still, all is not lost, it cost Frank
$40 in courier fees to send this package to me!
Frank has shipped another $200, this time by UPS as promised.
Date: 24 Sept 2004 Frank
Kabongo - 305k MP3 - 2 minutes 18 seconds
[Frank emails me to confirm the UPS Tracking Number]
From: Frank Kabongo
Date: Friday, September 24, 2004 2:56 PM
Subject: Re: I have received your mail.
Dear Willie,
Just as we talked over the telephone I have sent another parcle
to you with UPS courier service company here is the tracking number
M101 226 XXXX you should start tracking the parcle by tommorrow
because it will be leaving here this night.
I will give you a call later today.
Best Regards,
Frank
Guess what? It's back to the telephone calls!
Date: 24 Sept 2004 Frank
Kabongo - 219k MP3 - 1 minute 39 seconds
Now to save you the burden of listening to Frank drone on about
nothing much, I will not bother putting up the 10 (count em!) calls
Frank made in the next 48 hours.
Anyway, I had a small problem. The second package did eventually
arrive on the 27th, but unfortunately I was unable to get to my
dropping address for 24 hours. Frank kept on calling me ALL BLOODY
DAY to ask about the parcel. To stall him I had to get my secretary
to send him an email to give me some time:
From: Miss Krispy Minge
To: Frank Kabongo
Dear Mr. Kabongo,
My name is Krispy and I am the personal assistant to Mr. Willie
Stroker.
Please note that Mr. Stroker is not in his office unto later this
evening as he has taken an urgent trip to Coventry to sort out some
problems at his new factory. Mr. Stroker has not been in the office
today so will not be able to receive any of your calls until he
returns.
As soon as he return I shall ask him to contact you immediately.
Sincerely,
Miss Krispy Minge, PA
www.creatureheaven.com
[Success! I now have the package and this time the $200 IS inside!]
Soon Frank will know exactly what his real victims feel like
when they have been screwed over... But not yet. Lets play!
Now, I wonder if Frank will telep......
Date: 28 Sept 2004 Frank
Kabongo - 228k MP3 - 1 minute 44 seconds
Frank must be feeling so excited about the prospect of all that
lovely cash he thinks he will be receiving!
Time to let Frank know the good news that there's a payment
on the way...
From: Mr. Willie Stroker
To: Frank Kabongo
Willie Stroker
Managing Director
Creature Heaven Butchers
www.creatureheaven.com
Dear Frank,
I am just contacting you to let you know that I am sending my secretary
Miss Krispy Minge to the Western Union office very shortly to make
the first payment to you. The payment will be made around 10.30am
UK time today. I will ask her to make a single payment of $9000
to the first name on the list, Mr. Kingsley Sunday.
As soon as the payment has been made I will send you a scan/fax
of the Western Union payment receipt so that you know the payment
has been made.
With kind regards,
Willie Stroker
Managing Director
Creature Heaven Butchers
www.creatureheaven.com
Frank receives my email today (29th) and decides to give me
a call. Sadly I can't hear him properly because I'm at the circus
with my son, or so Frank thinks!
Date: 29 Sept 2004 Frank
Kabongo - 293k MP3 - 2 minutes 12 seconds
Time to send Frank a scan of the payment receipt as promised......
From: Mr. Willie Stroker
To: Frank Kabongo
Willie Stroker
Managing Director
Creature Heaven Butchers
www.creatureheaven.com
Dear Frank,
Miss Minge has now made the Western Union payment ($9000.00) and
has returned with the receipt. Unfortunately my combined scanner
and fax machine is not working, so I have had to take a photograph
of the Western Union receipt for you and you will find the picture
attached.
Please excuse the food around the receipt; I took the photograph
in our meat processing plant and it is quite windy there. We have
to continually circulate fresh disinfected air through the plant
to keep the meat we process very clean. Because of the wind I had
to use some of our meat products to hold the receipt down to take
the photograph.
The security question is "Year of birth" and the answer
again is "1942".
Please advise me when you have received the payment and I shall
instruct Krispy to send another payment.
With kind regards,
Willie Stroker
Managing Director
Creature Heaven Butchers
www.creatureheaven.com
I attach the photo of the Western Union receipt:
I expect the shit will start to hit the fan real soon!
Well there's a surprise; Frank can't seem to be able to get
the cash.
From: Frank Kabongo
Date: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 2:36 PM
Subject: Please reconfirm
Dear Willie,
My agent has gone to the Western union office to confirm the payment
but it was proved to him that the payment did not reflect in their
system that we should contact you to reconfirm the payment.
Please let me know as soon as you do this.
Thanks
Frank
I was going to toy with Frank for a few more days but I have
other fish to fry. Time to end this debacle now, if only to stop
having to have to listen to Frank's voice!
From: Mr. Willie Stroker
To: Frank Kabongo
Dear Frank, or should that be Lucas (or whatever your real name
is).
Thank you so much for sending me the $200 guarantee fee
but I am afraid you have wasted your money.
You have been lying to me havent you Frank? Dont worry
about it though because I have been lying to you as well.
You see, I know your name is NOT Frank Kabongo. If you remember,
the name you like to use on your 419-scam emails is in fact LUCAS
KABONGO. Of course, even that is probably not your real name.
Your email was of course a very pathetic attempt at a 419 scam.
Are you starting to fee uncomfortable Frank? Do you
remember the first email I sent to you? You probably thought that
I had sent you the email by mistake, but in fact this was not the
case. I just pretended that I had sent you the email by mistake
to see if your greed would make you do something stupid, and of
course it did!
Let me answer a few questions that may be going around in your mind:
1 - As you may have already guessed my name is not Willie Stroker.
2 - There is no such company as Creature Heaven Butchers, the website
is fake.
3 - I never did send anyone $3,270.
4 - There is no person named Frank Kabongo. I was never sent a $200
guarantee fee.
5 - The emails you saw in my first email to you were all fake.
6 - I KNOW you are a 419 scammer. Your original email proves it.
You will be asking yourself why I did this to you Frank.
Well, I am sure at this point in time you are getting a very similar
feeling that your victims get when you STEAL money from them with
your pathetic little 419 scam. This is the feeling I want you to
remember when you next contact a real victim. Remember this feeling
very well Frank. What I am doing to you of course is
only a small version of what you and your fellow scammers do to
their victims. You should be thankful that all you lost was $200,
your victims and the victims of your fellow scammers lose MUCH more.
Finally there is my business address, which you sent the $200 to.
Of course, as I already told you, there is no such business as Creature
Heaven Butchers, and it will not surprise you to learn that the
address you sent the cash to is not mine. I would not be foolish
enough to give you my real address would I?! In fact you sent the
$200 to a POST OFFICE 50 miles away from where I live!
So, what happens now? Well, of course you could probably email me
back and make some threats, perhaps even a voodoo curse or something
like that?
As for your money, well, thank you for sending it to me so quickly.
I am not interested in keeping it; I just wanted to teach you a
good lesson. I will probably donate it to a worthy cause. Perhaps
I will give to money to a 419 victim support group.
Bye.
I NEVER DID RECEIVE MY REPLY!
Feeling sorry for Frank/Lucas? DON'T. Frank STEALS many
thousands of dollars from people on a daily basis. Like most other
scammers he has absolutely no compassion or feelings of guilt, and
more than likely he would cut your throat for a few dollars if you
were ever foolish enough to bump into him on his own turf.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
Tempted to try baiting scammers out of cash yourself?
Please don't.
IT CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS!
I would advise anyone considering "cash baiting"
to think again. Not only is it extremely dangerous for inexperienced
scambaiters to try, but legally you are also skating on very thin
ice. Whilst morally you may think you are giving the scammers exactly
what they deserve, technically you are still obtaining money by
false pretences, and whilst you may just get a slap on the wrist
from law enforcement officials, the greater danger is from the scammers
themselves.
It is stressed on this site a lot, but again, PLEASE
remember that these people have been known to beat, torture, and
in some cases even murder their victims. Although most of the scammers
you may read about here seem to be bumbling fools, you certainly
would not want to meet up with them in person. You may feel you
are safe baiting a scammer many thousands of miles away from you
in another country, but remember, even though they themselves may
not be prepared to go to the time and expense of flying across continents
to come and deal with you, they may well have relatives or contacts
living much closer to home!
I implore newcomers to scambaiting to never lose sight
of the main goal; to waste the scammer's time as much as possible,
to mess with their minds, to make them jump through hoops. Of all
my most favourite scambaits, not a single one of them involved extracting
cash - or even a trophy picture - from the scammer. It is much more
satisfying to drive a scammer mentally insane over a period of weeks
or months than it is to spend a week or so convincing them to send
you a bit of cash. None of my own cash only baits are remotely near
any of my favourite baits in terms of overall satisfaction.
Please do not send requests to me asking how to receive
money from scammers. I no longer attempt any kind of cash baiting
myself. I tested the waters to see if it could be achieved, now
I'm looking for bigger and better ways to get these guys.
Any emails requesting information on cash baiting
will NOT receive a reply.
Of course I cannot force you not to try cash baiting
yourselves, but for the sake of your own security PLEASE
don't do it!
Please help to
support this site.
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