How to identify scams like "Keep And Invest Funds"

What kind of scam is "Keep And Invest Funds"?

We have examined this email and learned that it is an advance-fee scam. Typically, scammers behind such emails offer large sums of money in return for small payments and (or) personal information. Either way, none of the claims in this and similar emails are true. Whoever receives such an email should ignore it.

More about the "Keep And Invest Funds" scam email

This scam email claims to be from Barrister Peter Steen, an attorney of the late Andriy Portnov, a political figure who was reportedly assassinated. The email includes a story about rescuing Portnov's family and accessing a large sum of money ($21 million) supposedly held in a California bank.

It requests the recipient's assistance in protecting and investing these funds and promises a substantial financial reward in return. However, none of the offers and claims in this email are true.

Typically, if recipients respond to such scam emails, scammers ask for personal information (e.g., names, surnames, credit card details, addresses) or advance fees to cover "legal costs", "transfer fees", or "taxes" required to release the promised funds. In most cases, no actual money ever exists, and the scammers disappear once they have received what they can.

Either way, recipients should never respond to such emails.

Similar scam emails in general

These emails try to trick recipients by promising large sums of money if they follow the provided instructions. They often involve fake stories and appear urgent to extract personal info or money. Victims of such scams usually lose money and (or) encounter other issues (like identity theft).

Some examples of similar scams are "Maja Hoffmann Donation Email Scam", "Elon Musk Foundation's Compensation Program Email Scam", and "Capital Fund International Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals often attach harmful files (e.g., executables, Office documents, PDFs, ZIP or RAR archives, scripts, or ISO images) to their emails in an attempt to spread malware. However, the malware remains inactive until the recipient opens the attached file (and, depending on the file type, takes additional actions).

In some cases, these emails contain links that direct to websites hosting malware. These sites may either initiate an automatic malware download or deceive users into manually downloading it.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Download software from trusted sources like official websites or verified app stores. Make sure your operating system and applications are kept up to date, and regularly scan your device with trusted antivirus software to ensure protection. Do not trust pop-ups, ads, and links on unreliable websites.

Also, do not open links or files in unexpected emails from unknown senders. Always inspect suspicious emails before opening their contents. If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Keep And Invest Funds" email letter:

Subject: $21 million humanitarian help

Forvive me if I intrude your privacy unsolicited.

This is an urgent humanitarian call for an assistance to rescue the family of late Andriy Portnov from politicial assassins. Andriy Portnov, aged 51 years, ex-aide to pro-Russia former president(Viktor Yanukovych), was dropping off her daughters in their Elite American school Madrid on 21st May 2025, when he was shot dead by unknown gunmen, leaving the wife and the two children helpless.

My name is Barrister Peter Steen, the family attorney to late Andriy Portnov. There has been series of threatening calls to the wife from unknown persons and we met urgently to salvage the situation.

Late Andriy Portnov had left a $21 million deposit at a California bank. In order to save the fund and make it available for the family to relocate to a safer country, the family has sought a foreign help to change the particulars of the deposit so that the fund will be saved from the enemies prying eyes.

I have hereby contacted you for this unavoidable humanitarian help due to your good track record of humanity. The family is prepared for a handsome financial reward if you will be kind enough to keep and invest the fund for them.

Feel free to write me with any question or more details as soon as you receive this email.

Do have a happy day!

Sincerely yours,

Barrister Peter Steen
Solicitor & Advocate,
G 37 Mount Ephraim Road,
Streatham, London,
SW16 1LP, UK
p.steen@consultant.com
barrister.petersteen@gmail.com

Instant automatic malware removal:

Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:

By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by RCS LT, the parent company of PCRisk.com.

Quick menu:

• What is Keep And Invest Funds advance-fee scam?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using  Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

You received this email because scammers sent it out to many people, hoping someone will respond and fall for their scam. These emails are not personal and scammers obtain email addresses from various sources (e.g., fake websites).

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?

If you have shared account credentials, change all your passwords right away. If you have given other personal info like credit card or ID details, contact the relevant authorities immediately.

I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?

If the file was an executable, then it is very likely your system was infected. However, if it was a document (like a PDF or Word file), you might have avoided infection, since just opening such files does not always allow malware to enter the system.

I have sent cryptocurrency to the address presented in such email, can I get my money back?

Unfortunately, cryptocurrency transactions are usually irreversible, so it is very unlikely you can recover the money once sent.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Opening an email is not harmful. Nevertheless, clicking links or opening attachments inside malicious emails can lead to computer infections.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove nearly all known malware. Since advanced malware often hides deep within the system, it is important to run a full system scan for thorough elimination.