TITLE: (don't keep me) Scamming on The Telephone!
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 From Mr.Lucas Kabongo 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 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 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 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 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 Willie Stroker
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.
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. I very much look forward to hearing from you very soon. >----- Original Message ----- >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!]
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 Dear Willie,
From: Mr. Willie Stroker Willie Stroker [Of course he doesn't have my address. Why should he? He's stolen another scammer's victim!]
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
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 Willie Stroker
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
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!
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 Dear Willie,
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 Dear Mr. Kabongo,
[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 Willie Stroker 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.
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 Willie Stroker 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. 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 Dear Willie,
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 Dear Frank, or should that be Lucas (or whatever your real name is).
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!
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