Faking it — scammers’ tricks to steal your heart and money
Not everyone using online dating sites is looking for love. Scammers create fake online profiles using photos of other people — even stolen pictures of real military personnel. They profess their love quickly. And they tug at your heartstrings with made-up stories about how they need money — for emergencies, hospital bills, or travel. Why all of the tricks? They’re looking to steal your money.
As if all that isn’t bad enough, romance scammers are now involving their victims in online bank fraud. Here’s how it works: The scammers set up dating profiles to meet potential victims. After they form a “relationship,” they come up with reasons to ask their love interest to set up a new bank account. The scammers transfer stolen money into the new account, and then tell their victims to wire the money out of the country. Victims think they’re just helping out their soulmate, never realizing they’re aiding and abetting a crime.
Here are some warning signs that an online love interest might be a fake. They ask you to:
- chat off of the dating site immediately, using personal email, text, or phone
- wire money using Western Union or Money Gram
- set up a new bank account
Did you know you can do an image search of your love interest’s photo in your favorite search engine? If you do an image search and the person’s photo appears under several different names, you’re probably dealing with a scammer. And if the person’s online profile disappears a few days after they meet you, that’s another tip-off.
Here’s the real deal: Don’t send money to someone you met online — for any reason. If your online sweetheart asks for money, you can expect it’s a scam.
Unfortunately, online dating scams are all too common. There may be tens of thousands of victims, and only a small fraction report it to the FTC. If this happens to you, please report it at ftc.gov/complaint — click on Scams and Rip-Offs, then select Romance Scams.
Comments
I have seen this a couple of times. I can tell by their english. One guy, when I asked what he did for a living, he said I sell metal canned food. No salesman in the US would ever say that. This man was supposable from California.
Helen Christiana Terry is a name a scammer has stolen and is using it to extort money from men saying shes a nurse in Nigeria with UNICEF when I contacted UNICEF after she emailed me and I noticed poor english for a nursing student they told me she was a fraud she or whom ever is still using the emails to commit fraud
Please, I think my so called boyfriend is a Nigerian scammer. Someone help me. My heart is to invested. I don't wanna leave him .but I found out he is saying the same thing to other woman. I called him out n he . I need to know y they disappear on the week end please someone any one.
Hello Melanie, I feel what ur going thru, I met someone in EH and his voice didn't match the pic but to find out neither was the pic..in which came clean with but I still believed n him until he asked for my financial support..At that time everything about him I was Leary..I didn't send money and that changed the relationship.He is an African man who lived n LA but was doing "business" n Australia.. Even at time if connecting I tried to do research in him but hit a brick wall..he has a Facebook(I don't) but there is more of story and yes I totally understand how u feel but wanted to say u r not alone..keep ur head up,don't do ANYTHING u don't feel comfortable n doing
Hi Ladies:
I'm so sorry for your pain. These online scammers have no sense of decency. If you notice only one pic or this person escalates his emotions quickly - even before meeting! Then chances are he's a scammer. True love comes from meeting the person face to face, learning about each other in broad daylight - not over the internet!! Don't let yourselves be tricked into thinking these con artists are sincere.
Recently, I was scam by someone from a online dating for money. What do i do? I am lost and don't know how to get out of this situation.
If you gave the scammer your bank or credit card account numbers, contact your bank or credit card company and ask how to protect your accounts.
Please report this to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint. The details you give will go into a database that law enforcement uses for investigations. If you sent money by wire transfer service, you can report the scammer to the company.
i am tera 22 reporting the name of LT.GEN.BEN HODGES i am talking to him every day and share a sweet words always and he is very sweet man i know a General can be.
he ask me to open an account to transfer money bank to bank a very large amount of money.and i refuse to do it he still talking to and ask to marry him and sending sweet image of heart all the time it sense like a real one
i meet him in accidentally i did not look for him at all the small message start.he give me email that i have been looking in fake email's and i cant till if they are fake because it is very privet and think it's real but i don't think it is.his profile is Government Army please respond the answer mam Bridget Small i need the answer Please..
Your story shows many signs of a scam.
If you open a bank account, you tell the bank your name and your social security number. You will be responsible for the account.
If this is a scam, the man might transfer stolen money into the account. He might ask you to send money to another account. He might ask you to wire the money out of the country. If you do these things, you are helping to commit a crime involving stolen money.
You could tell him you will not open the account. You can stop sending messages if you don't want to talk.
Thank you so very much :Mam: Bridget Small that's i need it to know about i don't have any experience of any of this.your reply is so helpful to me.i thank you
I don't know which dating site u met this General on, but be aware that I have been sent 2-3 friend requests on Tango with this same name. They continuously keep changing his picture. I have never accepted his friend request. Unfortunately I recently fell victim to a romance scam online. These guys say the most beautiful things n tell u they love adore n want to spend the rest of their lives with you. Please don't buy it. They are scammers that do not care about u whatsoever. They will ask u for money. Most of them pose as widowed engineers with a child. They claim to be successful. What a joke. The name of the person who scammed for a little bit of money is name Patrick Nguyen. Not his real name. They will ask u to open bank accts n give them the username password n Q&As. They will try to transfer money into this acct, with ur name on it, via check. Rubber checks that is. Thank God my bank caught the check which had been altered. I called him out on it. Sure he scammed me for money but in the interim I learned a very valuable lesson. He will get u into serious bank fraud problems.
Jenifer , what site are you on ? I also meet a guy online and he asked me to send the money, I did send and now he is disappeared. His name is Philip Nguyen
Im pretty sure this romance scam is happening too me his name is richard lance says hes a sgt stationed in africa hes got 2 kids wife died 2 years ago etc hes nevet asked for money but asked me to send a gift card to his sone i told him no hes basically made me fall in love anywsys he offered to give me money to help with my kids since my health is so bad i ignorantly gave him my login info he tried depositing a check into it but the check is in someone elses name my bank held it saying itd been altered but then said it will be available on the 21st im not exactly sure what to do or if i should say its fraud
If you tell someone your bank account number they can take money out of your account. A scammer might trick you into helping him transfer stolen money. He could ask you to accept a check in your account, and transfer money. If you get involved in a scheme, you could lose money or personal information and get in legal trouble.
Believe me it happened to me...
Has anyone been contacted by Travis Mcguire saying he is a DR in Minnesota?
My scanmmer told me his name was Robert Foster and that he was a construction engineer with a daughter who was home schooled. He lived in California. I live in Florida. These guys are far reaching. I was leery at the beginning because he was talking romance at the very beginning. I thought who does that. He wanted to marry me and had not even met me. After 2 months of texting, he asked me for $300 in ITunes cards. I turned him down. I had already covered myself by saying I lived strictly on my social security. Guess he though he'd get what I had. When I turned him down, I didn't expect him to come back but a few days later, he was back romancing again but in 2 weeks he was asking for the money again. None of these sites really tell you what to do when you discover this. Do you go to the police or someone else? Not sure how to report him. I did a reverse phone search and this guy has 10 addresses in California. He could have 10 people or more doing this kind of thing at each address. There should be something they can do to investigate.
Hello i am talking to a person, he said his name is terry Howell he has a son name leo that goes to school on Turkey. He also ask me to get him 300 in iTunes cards 3 100.00 i didnt do it
Now hes asking me to send his son in Turkey a birthday gift to contact the schooland wire them 1200.for power station 5, he even gave me the schools email
I think the same guy got to me. I got red flags right away when he asked for 300 ITunes cards and called the police. They referred me to an FBI site that had a form. My guy's name was Cedric Chapman. He was "orthopedic surgeon" working for United Nations in Syria and was a widower with a daughter in a Florida boarding school. It appears this is some sort of racket and may be hard for the law to catch with him. Cedric looked to be about 50-55 with a gray goatee type beard. They sometimes steal other's identity, though
I have been talking to a guy who also said the sweetest of things. Even got me to send some him some naughty pictures that he is now blackmailing on saying he will post them on Facebook and send to all my family and friends through the messager also said he tried hacking my work email to send pictures to all my work contacts. He wants $900 and he will delete all my pictures and never contact me again. I'm not sure what to do or where to go about this. He is also saying he will send pictures to my son's school.
I had the same thing happen to me they try to blackmail me too they said they post my picture online it be three months then having done nothing yet they wanted 10,000 dollars I got them block I think was trying to scare me
Hey I’m sorry about that, but you don’t need to be confused because first of all he won’t do it, and I can give you 3 reasons why he can’t,(1) he knows that’s a waste of time to him if he wants to do that and it will cause him problem (2) he is tricking you to believe he has information about you (3) he knows he can be trace if he ever does that and it goes viral or escalate so for that reason he wouldn’t do it, just tell him with a capital letter word GO AHEAD AND DO IT, and see if he will not block and delete you
I needed to read your message....I got scammed big time by a guy I am positive is a Nigerian scammer....as in, I even received a phone call from Nigeria, when I guess they forgot to spoof the number. I had cut off all contact on hangouts and email, but yesterday I got a phone call and then text messages from a number in Illinois. I didn’t answer....and then today I got more texts, listing names of people related to me. He has s pic of me he screenshot. I’m freaking that he might do something with it, but have not replied to anything. What are the odds of him actually doing anything???
There are a number of websites that if you give the scammer enough info, he/she can figure out who you are and these sites will have the names of relatives, your address, cars you have purchased and other information on it. You have to be careful about the info you provide. I know it’s hard and sometimes I have made mistakes.
Hi! I'm curious what name he used. I think I'm being scammed by supposedly a Sgt. in the Army, widowed, Jason White, who is stationed in the Middle East for a few more months. I setup a separate email acct. for this (dating stuff) thinking it's safer (is it?) and have connected some with him via email. I did send a couple pics. Next he wanted to connect better via hookups but won't give me time to connect..just sends a little msg here and there, doesn't respond to my questions...things go blank, which I understand appears to be a scammer. Also, one of his responses included the word "omoge" and I asked him what that was. No response. I googled it and it sounds like it is a term from Nigeria. I don't think I've given any info that he could use, but am concerned about identity theft, etc. Help in knowing what to do/look for and how to find a genuine person!!!
My uy is calling himself Jack Drowe. I think I am being scammed. My heart is broken.
I think I am being scammed by the same guy. His name is Jack Drowe also.
My heart is broken also
Hello ladies,we all want to meet someone nice and fall in love ,but how stupid we can be to send information,and most likely money to a person you just meet,wake up this all scams,be smart report them and don’t give out info
Diannese I get that 100%. The heartbreak of finding out someone you liked is a scammer is really hard. These people are gross and will get their karma. I told the FBI about one.
I'll do you all one better! Not only did I get scammed, I got scammed for three years! I met a guy on MeetMe, he was a "Captain" in the Army and was in Afghanistan. He didn't immediately ask me for money. One day, he came on and was in "so much trouble." He had "lost his weapon." He told me he'd be jailed and arrested and that his "Commander" had let soldiers die in jail over there. Suffice to say I got scammed and he even told me that if his "Commander" did not receive the funds that I would be taken to Afghanistan and turned over to the Afghanee men. His "Commander" told me that he had a woman and her family taken over there.
He was extremely convincing. Of course, his "bank account was frozen and he could not access his funds and the payment for this "gun" could not be taken out of his pay." Of course, he was gonna come home. He never came home. In the meantime, I am scared, worried, can't pay all of my bills. I never told anyone, family or friends about this "relationship." Deep down I knew what they would say. A good rule of thumb is if you can't tell your family about someone you're with, there's a BIG problem. It took me a long time to wake up. I decided I was done being in this prison and I freed myself. I cut off ALL contact and I mean ALL. They have been relentlessly calling me and emailing me. It's funny how he couldn't use the phone before but now it's all "they" are doing. I am not acknowledging or responding to any messages. I know it will eventually stop. Last night, I got threatened about a picture I sent, but I am in serious doubt anything will come of that (and trust me, no one wants to see it, lol).
I feel a great weight lifted off of me. I intend to report this. I am not scared. I don't really understand why they are even bothering me. It's not like there aren't 20 more women that this man "loves." I feel like I've just busted out of prison. It will be a very long time before I'll be able to trust anyone again. I am not interested in online dating or any kind of communication apps.
I hope I can help someone by sharing all this and the following:
1. If you are on a message board, FB, whatever and you are messaged by a guy that says he's in the military, RUN! DO NOT message back, do not communicate at all. BLOCK THAT PERSON!
2. DO NOT EVER SEND MONEY, PICS, or VIDEOS to this person.
3. Do not accept cashier's checks or any checks to deposit into your bank account. They like to have money sent to you for you to deposit into your account then they want you to wire, WU, or MG the money to their "agent."
4. These "agents" are the ones getting the money and likely running the scam.
5. You will NEVER and I mean NEVER speak to a true military Commander or General. First, they don't have time and two, they don't care about you or who you are.
6. No one can come get you and take you out of the country. I think about this one now and I just laught. It sounded very convincing at the time.
7. Real soldiers PAY FOR NOTHING, and trust me, if they do, CIVILIANS DO NOT PAY FOR IT.
8. The loss of a military weapon is a BIG DEAL and money doesn't fix that issue.
9. HE is never coming here. He will never come home to you. As a matter of fact, one scam is that the solider is going on leave. Then you get an email saying he has been "detained" for trying to get on a flight with his own weapon (military is allowed to fly with their own weapon).
10. Ask yourself why you have to PAY to be in a relationship? And moreso, how does this soldier have all this time to talk to you?
This is my story. I'm embarrassed that it happened. But it does happen to a lot of people, in every economic situation, culture, men and women. It's not just military romance scams, it's all kinds. Depending on the situation, whether out of loneliness, mourning, or other vulnerability you weren't paying attention. The important thing is to pay attention, and if you are caught up in it, release yourself. Don't allow yourself to be used and abused anymore.
I hope this helps someone.
I have been scanned royalty for about a month. The first guy named Dennis Freeman was from Beverly Hills but in Turkey doing oil drilling. The Turkish government needed him to pay $30,000 in taxes and he wanted me to access his online banking information, which I refused to do. Then he asked me for the money. Ok, stopped talking to him.
Then came James Luck, 4 star in the army. Many videos and signs with I love you, Janet. Fell for him hard. He started to ask for STEAM cards which I had no idea what they were. Walmart told me it was as scam and only would sell me $40 then I went to Target and got another $150. He wanted originally $300. Still asking for them or a credit card so he can "add" money to my account.
At the another time, a Turkish neurosurgeon. I asked for a picture (selfie) he asked who I was talking to. He tried to get in to my Spectrum account to order Iphone ipods, , IPads., for his son and himself. Son was sending me messages oh "WhatsApp " telling me how happy good dad was and that he loved me and wanted to call need "mummy"....omg to use your children.
The last guy manipulated me in giving him my address and having a check for $585,000 sent to my house. He has my address!! OMG!!! Was talking about Turkish government waving taxes due $196,000. He said he had $42.100 with him and could I help him please... you know how much I love you..ya da ya da ya da!!!! I said NO... he called me screaming on the phone and saying gore could you chance like this!! Blaming me for everything!!!
I asked for an address to send back the check. I insisted on certified, registered letter. He didn't want to do that!! I insisted and got it mailed this morning. I have reported this!!
Yes, I'm scared as he knows my address!! But hopefully he won't bother me anymore!! I'm keeping good information online right now as proof in case anything comes of this.
Please ladies, don't be conned!! Be smart!! We shouldn't ever think were desperate!!
I think I have been scanned by the same guy, he said that his name was Nelson Scott, oringinally from Florida, living currently in Zürich, Switzerland. We met at Tinder - I am German. He told me that he was a widower and childless and that after the death of his wife he lived with his mother (Swiss nationality) in Switzerland until she passed away. Now he was all alone in the world. He said he wanted to celebrate christmans with me and my kids, but he had to go to Turkey on a business trip for 8 days. He told me that he would retire after this job.
doing some oil drillings there lol. After 3 days in Turkey he told me that he has big problems and he asked me to send him over 2 computers, because the once he was using there could not cope making the analysis correctly. I did some research and found out that he was using the pictures of another person. Also his cell was located in Germany and not in Turkey, so I stopped communicating with him. He probably recorded the person whose pictures he used to introduce himself on Tinder during a svideocalls The conncetion was very bad, so I did not realize that their could be something wrong. At that time I did not doubt and believed that it was just the bad connection. This experience indicates that he most probably is working with a women partner - recording people with whom they chat. I have sent him several pictures of me via Whatsapp and also my address. does anyone have experience and could recommand me what to do here?
Thanks for anybodys advise.
How can we exchange pictures. I think I was talking to the same guy
Great info!!!
I am right there with you, I fell for it too and it feels pretty bad. Though knowing I’m not alone or the only one somehow will help come back stronger. We all had learned something from this.
Stay strong
Thank you for sharing, I feel bad for having believed everything this guy I met told me.
I sent him my savings now I have to work hard again and save. My heart is broken
I had the same thing happened to me. But his name is Marcus Miguel. I met him on POF dating site. He is still begging me for money. I didn't answer him and tried to even block him, so he told me that I was mean and cruel woman and that I didn't love him and that he was gonna kill himself. He even had his commander text me that he tried to commit suicide. It's all fake.
I know how you feel. I have been texting with a guy on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico for 2-1/2 yrs and I think he’s a scammer. Breaks my heart too. We had some many beautiful plans. Sucks!
Did this man give you his name? I have been talking to a man who is on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Or so he claims.
Do you have a picture of him you can send to me? I am dating a guy who is a engineer on the Bullwinkle oil rig. He is a contractor has a French accent with a 17 year old daughter named Sandra in boarding school in California. He goes by the name is Steve Johnson and goes by PurpleClover on google hangouts
I would like to know if you can send me a picture of Steve Johnson. I have been talking to someone I met on Instagram that goes by that name. I talk to him on Google Hangouts too. His profile on IG has been deleted and he told me he is German and lives in Edmonton, Canada. He has a son named David that is 7. He hasn't asked me for money yet but he just got a big million dollar contract in Turkey. He is a civil engineer but won't tell me anything about the project he is doing. He sends me lots of photos so I would like to verify if this is the same guy before I get in too deep. Can you help me out?
He doesn’t have a son but a daughter and did he send you a picture of his hand that he just injured? Does he have a French accent? How do I send you a picture
Did anyone get a picture? I am being scammed.. I know it. Hoping not....
Do you have pictures?
Do you have pictures?
my friend is also talking to someone "on an oil rig" - Lucas Garcia, obviously fake name. I can't get her to stop talking to him!
What was his name?
I'm also talking to a guy that claims to be a petroleum engineer, shortly after we started talking he said he was being sent offshore and is now in the gulf of Mexico, hes been there for a little over a month. Anytime I questioned anything dealing with the idea he could be a scammer he would get upset. But then he wanted to pay off not only my credit card but also my student loan, so around $12,000 of debt, without ever having met me. He emailed his "account manager " about it, I asked him to send me the emails...which made him mad but he did it. And they seemed fishy as the account managers email was through gmail, not a company address and the emails between them were not professional at all. Sometimes this guys English is really good, other times I have no clue what he's trying to say. Like during the whole talk of getting me $2000 to pay off my credit card, saying that I would get the money and then a payment plan would be set up. Eventually I found out that he meant that I'd get the money for my credit card debt and then money would be put into my account monthly to help me pay other bills. He didn't want my bank info, but instead wanted to use cashapp....which I dont have. I refused to let him do this, told him I would be more comfortable having this conversation after we met. We had the talk 3 times, always the same argument. Then a couple days before Christmas he told me that he had the day off and had a problem that he hoped I could help with. He wanted to update his itunes list but couldn't access his account. Which he told me previously that he didnt have a subscription currently. I asked if he could just go online to do it, or use amazon to purchase a card, or if his account manager could help. Conveniently his account manager is on vacation, and his payment was denied on apple. He wanted $100 gift card...I told him no and ever since then hes been moody and says that things are good between us, that we are different, and doesnt get why things will be different when we meet.....he had told me previously that as soon as he got home he was coming to meet me, now he says he doesn't know if he will come at all. I told him a friend of mine was recently scammed, the guy wanted to pay her credit card and then give her money monthly, and he told me he doesnt need to know about what happened to my friend. I feel bad not believing him, but I know that I have to protect myself. I've even asked him how he can't be worried about me.... this guy claims to be Stephen Robert (no middle name), said he was born in Wyoming but raised by his dad in south Africa and moved back to wyoming when he was 20, because his dad died. He says him and his mom dont really speak because she hates his job (his dad died doing the same job) and he has no other family. First he told me his bday was dec 24th, I wished him a happy bday and now suddenly his bday is dec 28th and hes going to be 39. He claims that he cant use his cell phone while offshore, but has been sneaking using it to talk to me. Yet I tried calling his number one day and it's a Google voice account, which can be used by a phone or a computer.
Any bodyknowakel..I didn't catch his name?
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