John Howard

Hello dear,

how are you doing today...i hope all is well on there with you as i am...i want you to know that i still need your help on hear ...i need 2500 erous from you else kelvin and i will be killed on hear please try your best to send me the money so that i can give it to them and come back to you on there...try your best to do that for me okay...i love you and i hope you will do that for me....Hoping to hear from you soon...

John

Dear love,

I know times have been rough and things have been said but I hope deep down you know how much you truly mean to me. It's hard not having you around and things in my life have been stressful and I've taken my bad days out on you, but please know that you mean the world to me and I love you with every beat of my heart. I squeeze my bear at night wishing you were there to hold me and kiss me goodnight. Please have faith in us that we can make it through anything, together forever and always.

Love always,
John

Hello dear,
how are you doing...it been a long time i hed from you...i have been soo worried on here and been thinking of you ....i always bee online and send you mail but you don't come online and even reply my mail....i thought you do not love me that is why you don't reply my mail and come online.....am soo happy you were able to reply me today....i want you to give me the time you come online so that i will meet you online...because i can be alone without you ....i need you in my dreams and want to spend the rest of my life with you...please to not live me and promise you we will be .....i will be glad to here from you soon...love you soo much and missed you as well.take care and have a nice day?

John

Hello dear,

i hope all is well on there with you as i am on here...am soo happy to here from you again...i will like you to know that right now in Japan and will be back home on Monday.....it been soo hard since i was rubbed and have been given the money i supposed to clear my goods.....thanks God am still alive and things are moving better on here.....i will be at home on Monday and i will be happy if we meet each other.....but i really do not want to loss you...please will with you soon..and that is the promise i have made and will not broke it too...have faith in me....and things will go on with each other....Hoping to here from you soon....

John

I have been involved in a similar scam, a lot of the phrases and text has been used to woo me too. The only difference being that he goes under the name of Frank William in the UK. The name John Howard came up as his agents name and this is how I found out about this scam. I have a strange feeling that this is also linked to a particular dating site, which on research appears to be a scam too. It is a shame the police are not interested in getting involved with this scam but I believe they should be as this scams is used across the world and affecting innocent and decent people.

I have a lot of questions myself, does Kelvin exist? It is easy to be taken in by such a charmer who has such sincerity and love too to find out that it really is all about the scam. The man used by the scammer is used a lot in different guises, does anyone know who this man is as I have different pictures of him. Surely with the amount of different material the man must be involved in this scam rather than an innocent whose identity has been stolen, does anyone know the answer to this question, who is the man in the pictures used by the scammer?

frank - Hello *****
frank - nice meeting you on hear
frank - how are you doing and how is your day going on..
****** - frank how is your day going?
frank - well my day is going on great...working in my garden and in the house...soon will be going for a shopping...
frank - am so happy to meet you...tell me much about you?
frank - where do you come from and where are you at the moment?
frank - lovely to know about you...i was born in German but has lived my life in British for years now...i work as exporting and importing of cars to other country..
frank - yes am currently living in sourthen part of London
****** - do you have children? if so, what age?
****** - frank u still there?
frank - yes I am here, no had little problem with the connection...
frank - yes i have one son who lives with me...he is 13 years of age...you?
frank - nice to know about that...so tell me do you leave in your own house or what?
****** - yes my own house
frank - good....What do you think are the three best traits you have to offer a partner?
****** - how about yourself
frank - so lovely to know about that..seems we have something in common on here..well for me 1. Passionate: I am a happy, positive, loving, caring and respectful person. I love to laugh (at myself too!) I'm passionate about life, love, friends and everything I do...
frank - 2. Eclectic: I enjoy doing a variety of things - outdoors (cycling, walks by the lake, swimming, golf) and indoors (theatre, film, concerts, dancing, quiet nights at home) - and welcome learning new things from my partner, as well as sharing anything I know. ...
frank - last but not the least...Confidence: I am happy with who I am, so I'm an honest, confident person...
07/07/2012 13:01:37
frank - Tell me in general, how many nights a week do you go out for entertainment? What sorts of things do you like to do when you go out on the town?

frank - so lovely to know about that...i can see we have something in common alot..I'm generally out once or twice a week for either dinner, or a movie or maybe shopping or meeting friends for coffee. I'm not a real "party animal" and generally prefer quiet get-togethers with friends. I'm not much of a drinker and the gambling scene is just plain scary for me. I do have a large circle of family and friends though and am a "people" person for sure.

frank - Tell me what do you find physically attractive?

frank - nice family you have...well my parent are both passed aways years ago and i am the only son of my family....the family am left with, is my lovely son.I find a big smile and expressive eyes very attractive. I have no preconceived notions about what someone should look like. Hopefully they are able enjoy a physically active lifestyle and not a couch potato...

frank - I like nice teeth that are cared for. It is nice when someone can dress in something besides jeans and a ripped t-shirt too, lol. I also find the ability to hold up one end of the conversation very attractive too...
frank - sorry bad network...
frank - Tell me if you could accomplish only one thing during the rest of your life, what would it be?

It sounds like you caught on to the scam before getting in too deep. I'm glad if that's the case.

Surely with the amount of different material the man must be involved in this scam rather than an innocent whose identity has been stolen,

The man in the photos is not involved in any way whatsoever.
When you see professional-looking photos of a man, like the ones posted here, there is a good chance that the man in the photos is an actor or a model. Often actors and models (or their agencies) have portfolios posted online--these photos (and sometimes video) are posted in order to help them get work. These portfolios will contain a wide variety of photos in different situations or scenarios. Scammers simply copy the entire portfolio from an agency site such as focushawaii.com , an open model site like modelmayhem.com , or a site for aspiring actors like starnow.com Then the scammer has a wide variety of photos to use in his scam.
Other times, they find someone who posts a lot of personal photos openly posted on a site like facebook, and simply copy all of their albums.

Some legitimate dating sites, unfortunately, are more than willing to ignore the scammers on their site, or respond very slowly, because their presence increases activity levels on their site and increases revenue for them.

I don't know? Been researching all this since the scam came to light, have learned quite a bit with talking to him every day, e-mails in the morning, talking every night, skyping, and talking day and night on msn since he has been 'abroad', the skype picture of this man is not a professional picture, I am still skeptical that this man is not involved .... it would be good for a forum involving the police, interpol etc. could get together with all the information and get this man and put him out of business. I still believe the dating site is involved because he managed to delete his profile yet everyone else including myself has had problems deleting their profile from the site. There is a big write up about this dating site being bogus!!!

frank - well life move on since w still healthy and okay...we still hope to see what is ahead of us...loosing my only dearest one wasn't eassy to me but nothing i could do about it..i am hoping i fine a woman who can understand me,love me as much as she can,do everything with her,and leave as one family together with my only son Kelvin..that is realy bad of him...

frank - do you have cam?
***** - yes I have cam but not sure I'm ready for cam yet, can we wait a while as would like to know you better. I want to take things slowly
frank - no problem at all....beside just asking if you have one..beside i have one but not try it before and do not know how to used it...unless i ask help from a [b]friend.[/b].. take your time.

***** - your profile has disappeared from the dating site
frank - [b]yes i order my friend to delete me from the site as i have no interest in it... so if am disappear is because of i order my friend to [/b]

frank - i can see we both have future together and i look forward it soon
frank - yes that is what i feel for the moment
frank - What are your general feelings about money and personal wealth?
frank - My feelings about money and personal wealth are that if you are looking to find "happiness" by obtaining money you will never find it. You must be happy with yourself and your life first - money would just be an added bonus....

frank - How would you spend a romantic evening with someone you have been dating for more than one year?

frank - Well to me prepare a nice candle lit dinner, we are staying the evening at a cottage/home by water... as we sit on the deck we both enjoy the loving, peaceful moment.. and watch the sun go down.. by the time dessert is ready the stars are out... and we move ourselves to a comfortable swing on the porch.. we hold each other and know that this moment feels very precious and talk about the past year.

frank - Sit in front of the fire, looking into each others eyes, touching each others fingertips, caressing our face... and just feel so amazingly at one with each other and the universe.. We love holding each other as we listen to the soft music playing in the background, and whisper loving words to each other... the rest will both depend on our level of love and intimacy...

frank - I want to be the man who is your everything. Not an hour goes by that I don’t think about you. You have brought so much joy to my life and you give me so much to look forward to when I wake up every morning. I want you to know that I sincerely appreciate you and I can never tell you enough that “I LOVE YOU!...i never believed i will met such a lovely,pretty woman like you and i feel so lucky...

frank - I want to tell you that the love I have for you is undying. It is a love that is strong and enduring and will stand the test of time. I truly feel blessed that you have become a part of my life and I cannot wait for the day that we can join our lives together...

frank - I want to lie next to you at night and fall asleep in your arms, only to wake to your beautiful smile. I want to share in your joys and sorrows. I want to be your everything. You are everything to me....

***** - does your friend know you are talking to?
***** - what is there opinion?
frank - yes
frank - well love he is happy to see me in love and have met the woman...he says i should be careful as he do not want any woman to hurt me...but i have rest assure him that you are different and you are the right woman for me...
frank - he wishes as the best and he is looking forward to the day we both been together and visite him..

I don't believe this John Howard or Frank William works alone, there has to be a partner here as he has referred to his friend many times in our conversations and also we have seen an additional figure in the background when we have spoken on cam.

Fortunately i came to my senses before I agreed to send money to this agent John Howard in Ghana but foolishly I did fall in love with the bogus man, sounds silly when you think about it but surprisingly easily done.

PS: surely by tracking the man's IP address or email accounts etc. there is a way of tracking and finding this man????

There is absolutely no evidence that the man in the photos is involved. It is extremely unlikely, and we make that very clear here. I can't tell you how many times people have made the exact same statements about Raven Riley, Josie in Ca, and numerous other people whose photos have been used. These people cannot control what happens to their stolen photos, and it is certainly not fair to them to accuse them of being criminals. Having a large number of publicly posted photos is not a crime. Google that photo, and you will find even more names and scam profiles associated with it.

The real criminals in this particular scam stay hidden. They don’t use their own photos because they don’t want to get caught, plain and simple. They may be scamming under many different names, using different sets of photos, at the same time.

As far as the man writing to you goes, he's one of (at least) tens of thousands who are making a living by scamming people. The writing in the chat you posted once again points very clearly to an African scammer. He could be the same scammer who has used those photos in previous scams. He could be another scammer from a gang working together, or he could be an entirely different scammer who copied/stole the photos from the original (there really is no honor among thieves). He is hiding behind fake names, stolen photos, and completely fictional information. He is very possibly using an internet cafe used by dozens, if not hundreds, of other people, and the IP address will not tell you which of those people was at a specific computer at a certain time. If he is in Nigeria or Ghana, he is likely working from an area where local authorities can be paid to look the other way. If he is sending highly romantic poetry or letters, they are most likely simply copied from sites like lovingyou.com . For example, a quick google of this line from your chat: "You have brought so much joy to my life and you give me so much to look forward to when I wake up every morning." brings me straight to lovingyou.com, where he stole it.

Because they operate across country lines, tracking these scammers down for prosecution requires an international investigation. International investigations are very costly and involve lots of politics and red tape. Countries in which the scammers are living do not have to cooperate. Even if they do, they may not have the resources for investigations and evidence-gathering practices needed for a conviction. If the investigation does result in enough evidence for a conviction, extradition is another expensive, complex hurdle to maneuver. Because of the costs and challenges, the vast majority of cases will not be pursued. Typically 6-figure losses are required to trigger anything beyond a cursory review of a basic scam case. The resources just aren’t available to pursue each individual case. We encourage reporting of scams; but we don’t encourage false hope that can lead victims to becoming vulnerable to a recovery scam.

That’s why education is so important. Posting the photos, scripts, and other information the scammer used is the best way we have right now to help others avoid being scammed.

Out of interest has anyone who has been scammed by these two aliases ever seen them on cam? I have a few times, he doesn't look like the man in the photo's used, but is similar. The man I have seen is caucasian (white).

I have other pictures of the stolen face used but not sure how to download it so others can be alerted of the bogus identity.

Cam is faked just like everything else.

All it takes is a bit of existing video (taken from youtube or any website, or even recorded video of a previous victim) and inexpensive software that is sold to scammers for this very purpose. That's one of the reasons Raven Riley and Josie CA are used by scammers so much--there is lots of video out there to use to fake webcam.

There are instructions for posting photos in my signature line.

Thanks Dotti,

I am sure that you are right about the various software on the market. However, I don't believe that this was software download as this man was very much on the other end of a cam, he removed his glasses, put them back on at my request and blew kisses.

Just goes to show that everything can be manipulated for whatever means, scary business!!!

That is precisely what the software does. It allows the person to take existing video, and to attach commands or bookmarks to certain actions or segments. For example, the scammer can take video of a porn actress and can set parts of the video (for example undressing, lifting up her shirt), to show at the press of a button. Then when the victim asks "her" to perform one of these things, the scammer can simply press a few buttons, and make it happen. We regularly encounter victims who are absolutely convinced they were talking to the real Raven Riley because "she" responded to their requests in webcam chat.

As for the use of these photos? Just doing some searches and following them where they led me, I came up with around a dozen more photos, and no fewer than 50 fake profiles using this man's photos, all that appear to be the work of African scammers (some have been traced to Nigeria or Ghana).

A few more examples:
http://www.facebook.com/frank.dimino.39
http://polishdating.us/en/users/john1955/
http://www.myspace.com/560599011
http://www.facebook.com/tommy.robinson.3344

more here at scamwarners: http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=20903&p=77282

have learned quite a bit with talking to him every day, e-mails in the morning, talking every night, skyping, and talking day and night on msn since he has been 'abroad',

I hope that you have cut off contact with this person now that you know he is a scammer. He does have real information about you, and it is not advisable to play with scammers who have your real life information. Playing with scammmers is called scambaiting, and it is something we do over at our sister site, 419eater -- but we only do it safely, meaning that the scammer does not have any of our real information.

A couple of edits to add:
Chances are he did not delete his profile. If the site is legitimate, his profile was probably removed for scamming others.

Also, please post the email address this scammer used, and if he sent you emails, post the early ones, as these will most likely be scripts that will be reused.