NigerianScam Victims Submitted Yahoo Messenger Session

Here is an actual YAHOO Messenger exchange between Nigerian Scammer “John Baker” with one of our readers. Read toward the end to see how totally mean he gets with her because she has not sent the money! And this is the fake license the scammer used to present himself as John Baker...because all Tennessee driver license photos are taken in front of the ocean - especially since Tennessee has NO COAST!

john_baker625: call again honey

innocent woman: busy signal

john_baker625: call again pls

john_baker625: you only missed call me

john_baker625: I just thank God for having you. We are meant for each other and no one can change that. I love you with ALL my heart

innocent woman: 011 2347032669145?

john_baker625: yes honey

innocent woman: well its busy

john_baker625: it's okay

innocent woman: I gotta go my love.. My heart is heavy right now..

john_baker625: pls don't leave me on here baby

john_baker625: So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate. Mark 10 2-16

john_baker625: ...Love comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith

innocent woman: I had a image of you.... I held you up above the average guys I meet. But right now I do not know what think about all this and my eyes are cloudy and my heart is aching...

innocent woman: I gotta go John... I cant be on here tonight...

john_baker625: : good night

john_baker625: don't cry anymore honey

john_baker625: you are making me feel bad right now

john_baker625: cause you are crying

inocent woman : not as bad as I am feeling... i don't even know what to feel now ... what to think and what to trust..

john_baker625: If I cannot love ... I am nothing

innocent woman: I gotta go..

john_baker625: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? The one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves

john_baker625: ok good night

john_baker625: hug and kisses for you

innocent woman: I want to hear what your intenions are.. I do not want to read other people's words... I want your OWN words

innocent woman: I want facts and honesty

innocent woman: and some type of reassurance of who you are

innocent woman: THATS what I want

innocent woman: can you give me that??????

john_baker625: my intetion is to get some money, so that i can be able to get home soon

innocent woman: good night

john_baker625: gud night

innocent woman: you let me down.. made me lose my faith in this.

innocent woman: am soooo damn sad now... I am never ever going to give my heart to another man...

innocent woman: I until I look into their eyes and can feel the love through our veins when we hold each other

innocent woman: no more blank sceens, big stories that turn out to be false, and waiting for someone to call or come on the IM to talk to only to find out that they were just saying things for their own benefit or personal gain...

innocent woman: and that is why I cry

innocent woman: I cry for the false hopes and enpty promises

john_baker625: ooh i see

john_baker625: i am not going to talk to you again

john_baker625: please do me that favor

john_baker625: don't talk to me again and again

innocent woman: OH WHAT EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

innocent woman: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO CHANGE MY FEELINGS...Nothing!!!!

innocent woman: to get money so you can come home..... ?????????

innocent woman: what is that supposed to mean???????

innocent woman: Why wouldnt you already HAVE the money to COME HOME?????\

innocent woman: ]FINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nigerian Scam Vicitms Submitted Story

One of our readers sent her story of recent contact from yet another Nigerian scammer from tagged.com Don't they have anything else to do over there in Nigeria? Seems like they should be growing crops or something rather than whiling away the day at the local internet cafe. Yeah OK James you are God's gift? REALLY? So if you are God's gift why the hell will you be begging money from her very shortly?

To:Me

Date:Aug 12, 2009 8:10 PM

Subject:Hi pretty woman

Message:

I'm God gift. I am totally single and looking, searching through some Profiles suddenly I came across yours it Seems Very Nice to Me...Well am James by name, and I Hope you are doing Great Today and Your Day went as You have always wished...I'm Open minded,Caring,Respective,Easy going,Compassionate,Tender Loving, affectionate ,Trust Worthy ,Honest and God Fearing. Am looking forward to meet an Intelligent, Honest, Caring, and Faithful, loving Affectionate, loyal and understanding woman and I don't know maybe it's you? I was always told that beauty is in the eyes of the Beholder. Today, I can truly say if I was asked to define beauty I'd say it's you. I'm not referring to your physical beauty NO. The minute I saw your profile , It is as if God opened my soul, my spirit , my heart , my very essence of being, Just so I can truly comprehend the glory of your Inner beauty. I pray that my words are touching the depth of your heart because It’s the only way you will truly know and believe that we maybe Soul mates. If you really believe in LOVE at First Sight, if you want to have a future with a man of God who naturally knows your heart, then take my heart and let embark on a journey of bliss pleasure, companionship, friendship, growth, love, and beautiful Moments. I would like to know more about you? ...You can email me J.Sean76atyahoo.com

Take good care Of your self and God Bless you,

Nigerian Scam Victims Submitted Story

We agree with our reader who sent in her story of being scammed by Nigerians. Why is the US allowed to send money via Western Union into Nigeria, but Nigeria forbids money to be sent out? WTF Western Union?


ROMANCE DATING SCAMS
In August 2008 I was approached by a young man claiming to be a soccer scout who was traveling in Nigeria to recruit players for his team here in the US. His name was Mark Donovan from VA. He swept me off my feet with his letters and accent. We began what is considered "internet dating" and I thought this guy was "It". Having been out of the dating realm for 15+ years,

I was taken by his compassion and gentle spirit with me. After a while he began to ask me for money, saying that he had used up his resources buying players and their contracts and that he had a check for $450,000 that he was bring back to the US. But he could not cash it overseas. He even sent me a copy of it.

Long story short, I have sent him over $8800 through Western Union, lost everything I had in my storage unit, my credits, bank accounts, clothing credit line, and numerous other things, from letting my responsibilities fall behind while trying to help him. It has now been 8 months and I still have not seen his face on a cam (but he has seen me), and he is still not here. How he says he is in Amsterdam and needs $2,000 to get home. This, after I had sent him $3,000 for planes tickets for his son and him, in November.
Beware!!! EVERYONE!!

If they sound tooo good to be true, they probably are!!! I have gone on CBS in Atlanta and have a web page warning women (and men) that these people are on these sites and they are looking for kindhearted, gentle people like me, to prey upon. The "Pig Buster" got a hold of my guy on here and he has recently deleted his profile from here. But he is OUT THERE!! Somewhere!! He probably has numerous unsuspecting women sending him money on one of those other singles sites.

He goes by "Barclayplayer, M.Donovan, or Barclaycard. If the picture of him is real, he is very good looking, age 42. I plan on going national with this and need as many women who have been taken as I have to come forward. I know it's embarrassing -- BELIEVE ME! I did things I am very ashamed of on my cam, in the name of "love". But if we don't get this out in the open, they will continue to use us and we will continue to go under financially from these bottom feeders.

I have written to Oprah, and Ellen D, and my next letter goes to "The View", and 20-20. My cover letter is being used on various "Cyber Dating Scams" sites now. My mission is to change the laws for sending Western Unions to Nigeria... Their law forbids them to send money to us!!! Well, that just doesn't seem very fair, now does it???!! Why should we be able to send our hard-earned money to them, but they can't send any BACK to us????!! I have had many women come forward who thank me for being strong enough to do this.

This story was used with permission

Nigerian Scammers post-scam email (the next scam)

After you have been scammed by a Nigerian Scammer, what is sure to follow is a letter from either Nigerians pretending to be an organization (like the United Nations) or from an alleged attorney, who of course does not know how to spell to save his life or create sentences that make sense. They use big words like prolific and effidential...? WTF? Guys really, WTF?



Here is an actual letter sent to someone who had been scammed by a Nigerian Scammer:

From: Collins Collins Subject:
Re: Fund RecoveryTo: XXXXX@yahoo.comDate:
Monday, July 20, 2009, 11:23 PM
REAL CHAMBER & LEGAL FIRM
20TH JULY 2009,

From REAL CHAMBER & LEGAL FIRM.

Attn : XXXXXX

I had the instruction of on said Mr. Tunji regarding the prolific scam act via the internet and the world at large to contact you as your legal counsel and image maker in our chamber here for recovery of the money scammed and frauded from you and also your colleagues. We are capable to handle such issue here in our legal firm.

We request for your effidential proof like a valid ID such like dtriver's lincense or front page of your international pass port or any valid ID to be scanned to us with out no further delay for immediate and effectiveness of the matter and all the transaction details including the western union receipt to be scanned for the establishment of the case.. Due to our commitment and obligation, we have an engagement rule and polict which reuqest for an engagement and retainer fee to be paid as we shall open a file here for you in our firm. This require you to send $ 380.00 ( THREE HUNDRED AND EIGTHY DOLLAR)

Bellow is the account clerk details for pick up of the money which must be sent by western union money transfer.

NAME : YOMI AKALA ADDRESS : 22 CLEM ROAD LAGOS NIGERIA. ZIPCODE : 23401

Letter from Nigerian Scammer from Tagged.com

This is an email someone received from a Nigerian scammer on tagged.com. This is a very typical letter they send out to everyone. Once again notice the misspellings and lack of ability to put together complete thoughts and sentences. And they are always looking for God fearing women because they are so religious themselves and love God. They need to step away from the computers and stick to planting crops.


Date: Aug 12, 2009 3:41 PM
Subject: Hello Pretty, How are you...


Message:
Hello Pretty, How are you doing ? I saw you on this site and wanted to introduce my self , my name is Kelly Brown and i have been in California for just 5yrs, yes i am working but not under any company, i only work based on contract , i am expecting a big contract soon. yes i live in my own home , yes i like boating but not much time for that maybe when i get to know you and we are together, i like sea food ,chiness , and MC Donal , Hummm Honest woman ? Babe i want you to know Love is the greatest of all things , if you have money and you have no love then , where is your happniess , i am not looking for a rich woman , but a woman that is rich in Love , but is good for the two partner to be there for each other always, think there is nothing bad if my partner need my help and i do it for her , love is worth dieing for and i can do anything for love , yes i like to travel as i told you that i am going to have a new experience soon , i want you to pray for me so i can get the contract. I am German,but my mom is from california, and i have been single for years now, my ex wife dumped me and get married to another man,i have a daughter that is 13 yrs old, her name is Tessy. I am ready to find a good woman and when I ran across you on the site God lead me to you. You are a beautifl woman i am sure many men hit on you. I am not looking for a woman to do everything for me, I am able to help the women. I would really like to get to know you more?. I am retiring this year and I want to settle down with a good and God feaaring woman. I do have enough money to take care of me and her for the rest of my life. I think you are very smart looking and fun to be with. please write me back if you interested in me?. I will be happy to read from you .. my IM ID is kelly_brown980 Kelly

Nigerian Online Dating Scams

The Nigerian Scammers are everywhere, they are in chat rooms, on MySpace, almost every dating website online, Facebook, tagged.com, you name it. The way these con artists operate is under the guise of wanting a mature long term relationship, that they are just "looking for love". In truth though, all they are looking for your MONEY.

The Nigerian relationship scammers are a big business, which is very lucrative, and is run just like a business. There is an office filled with people, who come to work to scam you out of your money. They operate with scripts, fake documents to use as "proof" and use each other to answer the phone or call you when need be.
They start off with some sob story about either being a widower, or their wife left them for another man. They usually say they have at least one child. They say all the right things, but you should be realistic and see that they are saying them ALL TOO SOON.


This is a business, they don't want to waste MONTHS getting a payout from you, the longest is usually 4-5 weeks and then they start asking for money. They claim to be businessmen traveling to Nigeria for work related issues, or simply say they work in Nigeria. (Some are getting smarter now and not even telling you it is Nigeria). They seem well educated, funny, caring, and pay you so much attention!

Once they profess their love and you return it, they know they have you hooked and the money scam falls into place. At this point they may either talk about needing money for plane tickets to come and see you (of course they will pay you back, they have the money, and often will offer proof that they do have it) and one of the many excuses is because they can't cash their check in Nigeria;the check is late; or it is coming any minute. Of course, when you go to the airport to pick them up, they never show, and while you are crying and upset, they either call and tell you they had missed the plane, there was a problem with their paperwork and weren't allowed to leave the country, or a sudden illness/accident occurred!

Now they need MORE money, and the scam continues until you stop paying. You would think after getting some money from you they would be on to the next, which is wrong. Their motto is "bleed them dry til they have nothing left". I cannot tell you how many people have become victims to this scam, and have been left with not just a broken heart, but in financial ruin as well.

Could You Fall Victim to a Con Artist? Part 2

Con Artist Red Flag 6:
Promises - you make them and must keep them or else, yet they always break them.
If you are constantly forgiving them for not coming through with their promises, you have shown the con artist what they can get away with, and believe me, it will escalate, and escalate. But if YOU don't keep YOUR promises, you are in BIG trouble with the con artist!! If you are always being forgiving (and they are the ones always screwing up) but they are sooo unforgiving when YOU "supposedly" screw up take a step back, and ask yourself "Why do they always expect ME to be understanding when THEY never are!" This is not healthy, and is not a part of a good relationship.

Con Artist Red Flag 7:
Selective Amnesia and other tricks of the con artist
Notice how when you bring up promises the con artist made to you they deny having ever said it or have forgotten they have said it? This is the con artists version of "selective amnesia", where they hold you to every thing you have said, but when you call them out for what they said, or promised you, they have "forgotten", or you misinterpreted them, or misunderstood. No you didn't. It is their manipulation of their words, they can take them back at any time, change them, however you cannot.

Speaking of words, another word game of the con artist is to promise but never deliver. Keep the victim on the string by promising them or talking about what will happen "someday". (Someday is never going to come, by the way.) You have heard it all, but what have they DONE? What have you really SEEN? Anything? If their words say one thing, and their actions another, you are being conned. People seem to feel words are more important than actions, when in actuality, it is the REVERSE. And, if the actions and words don't MATCH, then the WORDS are LIES. If they tell you they love you, do their actions show it? No? Then they don't love you. If all the promises they make and plans they make are for the future, not NOW, the reality is you have NOTHING now. You get so caught up in what is going to happen "someday" that you don't focus on what is happening TODAY, and that's how they string you along with such ease, and you are like the hamster on the wheel, never getting anywhere.

Con Artist Red Flag 8:
The con artists version of "proving your love"
If the con artist is implying that by not investing money, letting them use your credit card, loaning them money, buying them gifts, footing a bill, that you don't love them, ask yourself this question: Would every member of your family or all of your good friends loan you money, invest with you, foot your bills, etc? No? Does that mean your friends and family don't love you? NO. And since this con artist has a family of his OWN and friends of their OWN why is it always YOU bailing them out? With everything you have done for them, said to them, etc already, why doesn't any of THAT prove you love them? Why must YOU continually prove YOUR love?

Con Artist Red Flag 9:
The military career, the government job with the C.I.A, F.B.I., or undercover police officer, etc
I am not saying that ALL internet daters cannot legitimately work any of those jobs, but way to many con artists use these lines of work to avoid answering your questions, keep from meeting you, hold them unaccountable if they don't call/write/show up, and afford them the luxury of an excuse for just about anything. Please, use your head, an undercover police officer cannot tell their FAMILY and FRIENDS but they are going to tell YOU, someone on the internet that they don't KNOW? Get real.

How many of you has heard of someone talking to an employee of the F.B.I that is awaiting "clearance" so they can meet in person or meet them at work? We have heard this so many times, and wonder how people can believe this! You really think an F.B.I. employee is going to ask his bosses to check into someone they met on the internet so they can meet them or meet them at work? Gee, that could be a great career move, don't you think? Use your head!

Con Artist Red Flag 10:
They would be rich/successful/or not in trouble if.....
Here is the "woe is me" part of their script. There is always someone that "supposedly" screwed the con artist over. (actually, they may give NUMEROUS examples of being screwed over) This is because they do not accept responsibility for anything and blame someone else, and also to illicit sympathy from the victim.

All content and images copyrighted by dangersofinternetdating.com and cannot be used without permission.

Could You Fall Victim to a Con Artist? Part 1

Con Artist Red Flag 1:
Con artists have many friends and family members but you never seem to meet them
Con artists know that to be effective they have to hide their past. They are smart enough to know that if they come across as "loners", this may raise a red flag with their next victim. They will often go into great detail describing their friends, family members, co-workers, and experiences they had together. In a way, this makes them (the friends and family) "witnesses" to the lies they are telling you, and give the victim of the con artist a false sense of security. They wouldn't lie about their experiences or who they are if you can easily verify their lie by speaking with their friends and family and associates, right? Wrong. You will NEVER meet these people!

Con Artist Red Flag 2:
Con Artists know that you won't give your money to someone that has none of their own so they brag about how much money they have, or will soon have.
The con artist will try to show you how intelligent they are, make you believe they have an education that they don't, have a career and experience that they don't, and have money that they don't. They then, after convincing you of these things, ask you to pick up a tab (of course they will pay you back, they have the money, it is just tied up right now), invite you to join them in a money-making opportunity (they know what they are doing, they are successful, right?) and present it as if you would be a fool to not take this opportunity.

If you are going to be a couple, you have to have trust them, right? They make you feel that if you don't trust them and do what they ask, the relationship is doomed, and it will be YOUR fault because you didn't trust them. They also want to create the illusion that they are always busy, because they have so many things going on, because then it won't seem so strange to the victim that the con artist isn't available to talk, email, phone, or meet. The only thing they are really busy with is another con, involving another VICTIM, who is being told the same things you are.

Con Artist Red Flag 3:
Con Artists make you feel bad or guilty for questioning them.
There is a big difference between making a decision with your head or your heart. They are smart enough to know that if they win your heart, you money will be a piece of cake to snatch from you. The problem with most people is once they have given their heart, they make all decisions following that with their heart, not their head. Always remember money is a BUSINESS decision and must be made with your HEAD.

The nanosecond money is discussed, a background check should be the first investigate tool you use. The con man knows that most people feel guilty or "bad" for doing such things, and count on you not to do it for that reason. There is no harm in verifying the information being given to you, especially where money is concerned. You have a RIGHT to have that information. If you are considering "investing" financially (or with your heart) in a relationship, invest in a background check as well.

Con Artist Red Flag 4:
Inconsistency At the beginning the con artist will come on strong.
They will try to achieve a "fast sell" very quickly. They will talk for hours on the phone, email you constantly, chat with you on the computer, have kind words and compliments and "warm and fuzzies" by the bucketload. As you get closer to giving them what they want, they will pull back on that behavior. First of all it wasn't genuine in the first place, but the con artist knows that by pulling away and being inconsistent they will make you begin to feel insecure, and this would make you more likely to give them what they want! They take the stance of "I have done everything in my power to show you I am genuine, now it is YOUR turn to step up to the plate". In actuality, what DID they really DO??? Nothing, they just talked the talk. It's what they are good at, not how they REALLY feel about you.

When you catch a con artist in a lie he will get VERY angry with you and turn the tables on you. It is not YOU that is allowed to be mad at THEM for lying, it is THEM that are mad at YOU for questioning them. (THIS IS A HUGE RED FLAG) They will also make you all these promises for the future, of how they are going to take care of you, help you, marry you, etc, yet when you bring these things up further down the line they will DENY having ever even SAID it.

Con Artist Red Flag 5:
You are keeping information or lying to friends and family.
If this person IS such a wonderful person, why can't you tell people the truth about them? Because they would get mad? Yes, they would, because they REALLY DO love you and don't want you hurt. If you ever have to hide your relationship or details about it from those who have PROVEN to be trusted, you are actually HELPING the con artist to succeed! The best and easiest way to con is to separate the victim from friends and family that would HELP them, or WARN them. You should be able to tell the truth about your relationship, and if you cannot, it is because you are being conned, taken advantage of, and mistreated. It is time to face the facts.

Background Report Background Report

Internet Dating / Sweetheart Scams

THE SWEETHEART SCAMS

The sweetheart scam is one of the most devastating scams of all. The victim will not only lose money, a car, property, a business, be left responsible for enormous debt, they will often suffer psychologically and emotional.

The sense of betrayal one feels after being a victim of a sweetheart scam can lead to trust issues (and who can blame them?) and feelings of embarrassment, often so bad they won't report the crimes against them. The internet has been a huge help to sweetheart scammers. The internet has helped them cast a much wider net to "catch" their victims, while they use the cloak of anonymity the internet provides to hide their secrets and schemes, and move on to the next victim.

Many men and women have found themselves the victim of a sweetheart scam, and the come from all backgrounds, races, ages, and education levels. Don't think you have to be incredibly nieve to fall for a sweetheart scam, or that it couldn't happen to you. No victim went into it thinking it could happen to them.

These con artists are professionals, and often make these schemes their sole source of income! Most sweetheart scammers are pulling numerous scams at the same time with multiple victims! Almost every victim of a sweetheart scam has found out, after the con artist "disappeared" that they were not alone and that several others were being duped at the same time.

The term "con" comes from the word "confidence". These people are only as good as their ability to make people believe them, trust them, fall in love with them, and give them money. The con artists in these sweetheart scams will either use a "quickie" scam to get short-term fast cash or the more elaborate scams, that take more time and often will even marry the victim! The time they will invest with each victim depends on how much they can get, and how fast, if ever, the victim begins to catch on. They will do, say, or promise you anything because they want you to trust them and believe in them so it is easier to part you with your money.

They will promise you the world - love, marriage, children, dream homes, lifestyles, and business partnerships, anything. The only catch is all the money used to pay for all these things (and so much more !) will have to be provided by you and you alone. They make promises, YOU are required to deliver up front. There are many common scenarios of how the sweetheart scammer will operate, and here is the most common:

Step 1. They will come on strong in the beginning, have tons of time for you, want to speak with you first thing in the morning, and even right before you go to sleep. There will be numerous long phone calls, emails and chats. They will listen to you, size you up and know just what to say to steal your heart. They will often tell you of their dreams, and of course how they either "had it all" or could have had it all but "something" went wrong which is never their fault. (This done for you to feel sorry for them.) They will tell you all about how they never felt this way about anyone, never felt so much so fast, and will talk about being in "love" way too soon. It will be a complete whirlwind romance!

Step 2. They will ask you to help them out financially, whether it is for a loan on a check that is coming "any day" (but never does) or a business deal that is coming through "any minute" (that never does) or a hospital stay, sickness, or some other "emergency". They can also discuss with you buying property to build your "dream home" (isn't that romantic?) or get you to go into business with them because they have been "burned by so many others" but they feel they can totally trust you. (Nope, all part of the scam.)

Step 3. If you don't hurry up and give them the money they want they will pull away, have to focus their attention on making money (since YOU aren't helping) and can't give you the same attention as they did before (and it is all your fault). They will accuse you of not believing in them, trusting them, loving them, and not full-filling your promises. (But they haven't either, have they?) They will offer contracts to protect you, which in reality cannot protect you. If you sign a contact with them, YOU are responsible to pay the debt, they just run. They don't care about their credit! But yours will suffer. And sue them? Now you are going to pay for a lawyer on top of it? And what will you get from them? They often have NOTHING. Even if you win the lawsuit, who will make sure you get paid? It often becomes a CIVIL, not criminal matter, and you wind up with nothing. (If you can even find them after they disappear.

Step 4. When they do get the money, and feel there is nothing else to take or their victim is getting close to the truth they will either vanish out of the blue, or pick a fight with the victim and vanish. Please don't think if you marry this person that it means they are not sweetheart scamming you. Being married to a sweetheart scammer also does not mean they are not married to other people!! (You would be amazed how often this happens!

This story below was sent in and permission given to print to warn others ahead of time so they don't go through the same thing that they did.

All content and images copyrighted by dangersofinternetdating.com and cannot be used without permission.

Internet Dating Gone Wrong Story #5

I Had been writing with "Jeff" whom I met in a gameroom chatroom. We had started just exchanging jokes back and forth and then started writing on a more personal level. He asked a lot of questions, seemed very interested in getting to know me, and I felt flattered. He seemed to really listen to me, and was always quick to write back, which made me feel as though I was important to him. He told me he had tried blind dates and joining groups to meet someone special but had had no luck. He remarked about how suprised he was to have met someone like me in an internet chatroom! Once again, I felt very flattered. He said his computer was going in for servicing and that he may not be able to email me for a while, and I instantly, without thinking, sent him an email with my phone number.

We began to chat on the phone almost daily, and by the second week he told me he was developing some feelings for me, and had to tell me because he wanted to "be honest and up-front about everything, because that was the kind of guy he is". After another week we agreed to meet for dinner. We met at a restaurant at the halfway point between the two of us. He showed up at the place 45 minutes late, looking a bit disheveled, and told me he had come straight from the gym. We ordered dinner, had nice conversation, and it seemed we were both enjoying ourselves. When the bill came I offered to pay my share and he said "No, it was on him". He then went for his pants pockets and realized his wallet was not there, and told me he must have left it in his gym bag in the car. He said he would be right back and went out to get it. After about 15 minutes I started getting nervous thinking he was out there rummaging around trying to find it but having no luck so I told the waiter I was going to look for my date. In the parking lot he was NO WHERE TO BE FOUND.

He left me with the bill, and never returned my messages either through email or phone and I never heard from him again! I decided to try tricking him, and set up a new account and went to the gaming website under a new name to see if he would engage me, and lo and behold he chatted with me for a while, and asked for my email address, and started sending me jokes! I realized that this man was trolling this websites chatroom to pick up women, so I went into EVERY chatroom for a few months and chatted with as many females as I could and warned them of the game he played with me so he could not do this to another woman!

Story used with permission

Internet Dating Gone Wrong Story #4

My internet dating experience was one I will never forget, and has opened my eyes to how anyone can get conned. I was browsing through the internet dating sites, and came across a few men that interested me. I was sending emails back and forth to several of them, taking my time to get to know them, and one by one they all fell to the wayside. One was really "all about sex", one lived too far away, and another just dropped off the face of the earth. All except for Stu*.

Stu told me all about himself, how he was divorced and was looking for someone to be a real partner to him. He sent emails regularly, we had many phone chats, and he made arrangements to meet me in a diner close to my home. We met, hit it off, and the romance blossomed. He told me he never felt like this with anyone before, he felt he had finally found someone he thought he could spend the rest of his life with, and I was on cloud 9!

One day I opened my email and my mouth hit the floor, it was from his email address, but it wasn't from HIM. His wife, who was suspicious, decided to do a little "research" on her own to see what her husband was up to and came up with not only MY emails but emails from 4, yes FOUR, other women!!! I asked to speak to her personally, and she agreed. She realized I had no idea he was married, so although she was mad at him she wasn't mad at me. She sent me the emails he sent the other women, and all of us got together through email and by phone and were shocked that this man had conned us all, and did such a good job! His wife left him and divorced him, I never spoke to him again, but have seen his profile still on the major dating sites, so be warned, he is out there!!

Story used with permission

Internet Dating Gone Wrong Story #3

This was the biggest nightmare for me. I met someone through a personal ad they placed on the internet. He said he lived about 20 min away from me, but right now he was on business at another location far away and would be back when the project was completed. We im'd each other everyday, emailed several times a week, and his sense of humor was great, he really seemed mature, just unlucky in love and that's why he hadn't found the right girl yet. We spoke briefly by phone, but since he was out of the country it would have been way too expensive, so we kept it mostly online. Four months had passed, he still wasn't home because the project wasn't completed (he expressed his frustration) and I was dying to meet him. He sent me romantic letters, wanted to read the poetry I wrote, and seemed really excited about meeting me too! One day I sent him an email and it came back as "blocked". I almost died! I couldn't think of anything I did wrong, and was totally flipping out! Why would he block my emails all of a sudden? I went through some of the other emails in my inbox and opened one from an email address I didn't recognize, and it was from his PARENTS-seems he was 17, they were livid, and I was told to stay way from him from now on!

Used with permission

Internet Dating Gone Wrong Story

This letter was written by a woman who had, what I later learned through others, a horrific, yet not unique experience.....................
I was writing to this guy *Dale* (not his real name) through an internet dating site. I liked his profile, and we seemed to have a lot in common, including the fact that we were both so sick of the games, had both been divorced, and had children. We corresponded endlessly through IM, letters and then on to phone calls after two months of keeping it on the computer. I thought I was being really safe and that we had built up an element of trust between each other.

We finally decided to meet at a public restaurant, and we both drove separately, and I was really hoping this would turn out all right. We felt instantly at ease, talked smoothly all through dinner, and had a really great time. He walked me to my car and we agreed to meet again. We had several dates, and I had to go back to my home town to visit my Mom who was having a birthday party for my Dad, and I would be away for four days, and we agreed we would get together again as soon as I arrived home. I returned home and called him, left a few messages, and didn't hear from him for two days. I left him an email, and still...........nothing.

On the fifth day I was on IM and I saw him and sent him "Where have you been? What's up" and what I got was a reply "Is this *Judy* ? This isn't Dale, this is his daughter, Maggie." I said "hello Maggie, your Dad told me a lot about you, is he around?" To which she told me he had been at the mall over the weekend (it was the holiday season) and was trying to break up a fight in the parking lot and was stabbed!! I was so upset, and asked if he was ok! She told me she got the call from the hospital, went to see him and he told her to tell me he thought I was a great person, he really felt he finally met a special lady, and that we had our whole lives left to be together, and that we see each other soon. Then she told me he didn't last through the night, his heart gave out due to loss of blood and he died. I was beside myself and hysterical. I was inconsolable. My friends felt sooo bad for me, but what I did not know was MY daughter had a sinking feeling, so she called his cell phone (from HER cell phone) and left a message saying "Hi Dale, it's Victoria, give me a call back, I am really looking forward to to speaking with you. When she told me she did that I was like "Why?" And she said, I wasn't going to tell you BUT (and she made me put my ear up to her voice mail) listen to this................and I heard "Hi Victoria, its Dale, I am returning your phone call, and can't wait to talk to you either!" I never called him again, and although I don't wish death on anybody, what this bastard did was sick and cruel and inhumane.

Expert Online Dating Safety Tips

Expert Online Dating Safety Tips
When it comes to online dating, there is always the potential of danger quietly hiding in a seemingly harmless profile. For this reason, woman need to use common sense and to keep their safety as the number one priority when meeting an unknown person from a dating service.

This is not to put a damper to joining and surfing the many online dating services available today in the hopes of finding that perfect soulmate. But again, rules of good common sense need to be followed.
In fact, Dr. Robyn DeVal, an internationally recognized marriage and family therapist and relationship expert who has appeared on "Dr. Phil," CBS's "48 Hours" and "Fox News" nationwide, has a list of practical safety tips for woman.
"With the reach of the Internet and the growing availability of online dating sites, the world is literally at your fingertips," said Dr. DeVal, Executive Producer and Host of The Dr. Robyn Show, a web-based broadcast at www.thedrrobynshow.com.
"Who knows who you're really meeting in an online chat room? Safety and protecting your personal information must always be in the forefront of your mind."
The good doctor encourages women to use these safety tips for first meetings and conversations with possible suitors.
1) Spend time on the phone prior to meeting. But, do not give out your home or cell phone number.This way you get to feel more comfortable with whom you're talking to and create more of a "relationship." You may also find out more about the person from speaking with him. But, don't give out your phone number to set up the call. Armed with just a phone number, anyone can find out your home address and other personal information. This can lead to identity theft, stalking, or other unknown dangers. Use an anonymous phone service, like MyPrivateLine.com, which offers a disposable number that lets you talk to strangers without revealing your phone number. Once you feel comfortable, you can exchange personal information.2) Meet in a public place.When first meeting it's best to do so in a public place surrounded by other individuals. This way you don't have to worry about an uneasy or potentially dangerous situation.3) Never get talked into anything you do not want to do or feel you're obligated to do anything.If you feel like you're being coaxed or forced into an uncomfortable meeting or situation, it's best to avoid it. Just say no. Always listen to your gut!4) Do not get in his/her car.Getting into a car with a perfect stranger is not advised. Keep to your plan and stay in a public place for a first meeting. Don't let your emotions or the fantasy of it let you get caught up in a dangerous situation.5) Watch for red flags such as catching your stranger in a lie."Little white lies" often reveal much larger ones. If he will not allow you to call him or won't send any pictures, this may be a sign of a potential fraud! Ask him straight out if he is married and about his children and living situation. If he starts off a friendship with lies, odds are it will continue that way.6) Ask for several recent pictures before you meet.This way you know whom you're actually meeting. You don't want to find out the picture you saw online was from five years ago. Providing recent pictures also shows more honesty.7) Let someone know where and when you are meeting and anything you do know about him.This way if there is a problem, people know where you are, whom you're with, and when you're expected home. It will also be easier to create an exit strategy, if need be.

All content and images copyrighted by dangersofinternetdating.com and cannot be used without permission.

Nigerian scammer on Singles.net

Another victim story sent to us from Singles.net


I am a 52 year old woman who lives in Nebraska. After many many years of not dating and wondering if I would ever find "the man of my dreams", I was contacted by someone off of the dating site "Singles.net" He claimed his name was Carl J Koestner and he was working over in Nigeria in an orphanage, because that is what he does in his hometown of Louisville, KY and he saw that they needed volunteers and deceided to go and help.

We started talking in Jan of 09. After one month the dears, and babes started coming. And after 2 months the I love yous were all over the place. I was promised the love of a lifetime, even had pictures of him and his "son" that showed me a very handsome man, who professed to love me and only me and promised me a lifetime of happiness. All the words that he sent were supposedly straight from his heart.

And this guy was good. Never once did I suspect anything. He even gave me his address in Louisville, and I looked his name up on People Find. Which I did find a Carl K. In Louisville. Then after 2 months the requestes starting coming. "Honey, I gave my money to the flight agent and saw that the prices of tickets had gone up and I am short 900 dollars." Can you help me out? And then the story about the flight agent who stole all of his money and the 400 I has sent and ran off. And even though I kept telling him to go to the consult because that is what they are there for, all I would get in return is "They will not help me. They say they will come and see me at the hotel, but no one has shown up" So still believing that this man, is my true love, I opened and acct. so that he could have the orphange in KY wire his money to it and I could then W. Union the money to him, so he could buy his ticket and "come home to me"

1 hour after pulling the money from the acct, my bank put a freeze on the account. After calling them, they told me that the money that was sent was "unauthorized' Came from another bank, but it was not given permission to do so. So now I have to pay back 1850.00 to someone who probably also got scammed. I consider myself a pretty astute person, and never would have thought that "I" could have gotten myself into this situation, but I did. And I want everyone to know that any Internet Dating Service is a very cautious place to be.

I am sure that there are honest guys out there,but never again will I go on any sight, just to find a date. I would rather be single the rest of my life than go through this again...But I am more aware now and have no on to blame but myself. Want to know how good these guys are? If you ask for information pertaining to their jobs, hometown, and such and you go and find all of that, by internet, why should you disbelieve? Of course there is a Carl Koestner that lives at this address in L. KY. And of course therr is an orphanage by this name in L. KY. And of course the address and Orphanage name he gave me in Nigeria is where it is.....And the photos he sent me are of a handsome man with his son, but not something that you normally read. They were not pictures of models. Just an everyday guy.

Organization to help scam victims? Nope, it's another scam!

This letter represents a letter the scammers send out to victims saying they want to help you, based on a meeting in "Newyork" but NOPE, it is another scam! What is so ridiculous is their spelling and use of grammar. You would think if they really try to present any level of intelligence they would at least run SPELL CHECK and invest in an English dictionary!!!

UNITED NATIONS OFFICE
Address: United Nations Plaza, 27th Floor,
New York, NY 10017
Tel: 518-632-4725
Date : 24th March 2009

SCAMMED VICTIM/ 3.5million USD COMPENSATION- REF/PAYMENTS CODE:06654

Attn:
We are delegated from the United Nations office Head Quaters Newyork to pay 100 Internet 419 scam victims $3.5million each, you are listed and approved for this payment as one of the scammed victims, get back to us as soon as possible for the immediate payments of your 3.5million USD compensations funds.
On this faithful recommendations, UN want's you to know that during the last UN meeting held at Newyork, it was alarmed so much by the rest of the world in the meetings on the loss of funds by various foreigners to the scams artists operating in syndicates all over the world today, in order to retain the good image of the countries involved ,the president of some of the Countries Which includes South Africa ,Dubai,Ghana and Nigeria, are now paying 100 victims of this operations $3.5million each, Due to the corrupt and inefficient banking systems in the involved countries.The United Nations under funding assistance of the Royal Bank of Scotland would be making the payments to the beneficiary's.According to the number of applicants at hand, 84 beneficiaries have been paid, half of the victims are from the United States and Asia, we still have more 16 left to be paid the compensations of $3.5million each only.
Your particulars was mentioned by one of the syndicates who was arrested in one of the indicated countries as a victim of their operations, you are hereby warned not to communicate or duplicate this message to them for any reason whatsoever, the US secret service is already on trace of the rest of the criminals.

For more vital information,please visit: http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal.
Ensure that you reconfirm the following information to us:

Beneficiary's Full Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zipcode:
Country:
Tel:
Fax:

Signed,
UNITED NATIONS COMPENSATION OFFICE.

Nigerian Dating scam on Blackplanet.com

Another story from another scam vicitm, this time from blackplanet.com
Hello,

I don't mind sharing my story about my encounter of a Internet crime. I met my scam artists on BlackPlanet.com a dating service online. Actually he found me, last year March 2008. He sent me a lovely message, the I replied. Afterwards he asked me to meet him on yahoo IM. Where we chat, we even exchanged cell phone numbers. He posed as a handsome well built man, which he stole the photo from Modelmayhem a modeling web site. The gentleman photo he's using is Michael Owen; but the scam artist goes by the name; David Benson d.benson39@yahoo.com .

He told me how we where going to be together and make me his wife. E-mailing me poems; he was so sweet, I felt for his manipulation. Then he told me his mother was sick and he needed money to save her life in addition to medicine. Afterwards he needed money to renew his plane ticket the list goes on. He manage to scam $3000. He also tried to transfer money into my account which didn't work. This man did it all. I have so much more to mention if you need to learn more you can contact me via e-mail caroldavis305@aol.com. I hope this scam can be stopped out of Nigeria, Lagos State in Africa. If not stopped put under controlled, because I have a feeling he would make someone else his victim.

Nigerian Dating Scam on Match.com

And it appears these assholios are on match.com too as yet another scammed victim details for us below!

I too was about to be scammed out of $300 (as a start) by someone who called himself Mike Smith. He finally told me he was in Nigeria and needed $300 to pay for a plane fare to come home to Kennesaw, Ga. and that he would repay me when he got here. He would not give me an address of where in Kennesaw he lived and told me that when I picked him up at the airport, he would lead me to his house. He did all the same things these scammers apparently do by writing these truly mushy e-mails and calling you all these sweet names, then wanting you to text them on their cell phones, set up Yahoo IM and so on.

I was very lucky to realize he was a scam because he would never answer my questions about himself and kept postponing the date when he was supposed to be arriving back to the states. I think the biggest giveaway was that he was in Africa and wouldn't say exactly where and then asked me to send him some money when he was supposed to be in the construction business. When I asked him why he needed to be there doing that kind of work, he said he traveled all over the world. My children were here at my house when all of this was taking place (when he asked me to send him money via Western Union and gave me someone else's name to send it to).

He told me to send the money to
ADEYEMI ADEOLU,
17 TOKUNBO ALI STR,
IKEJA, LAGOS, NIGERIA, 23401.

Then he changd his mind and wanted me to use a Western Union Outlet and didn't want my son to know about this. I have our entire conversation from the Yahoo Instant Messenger printed out for my records. The picture he sent to me of what was supposed to be a picture of him was someone who looked too good to be true - much younger than the 55 years old he said he was, he appeared to be about 35 - 40 - and probably a male model. Of course, he said he would "fund" it to me when he came back home. Unfortunately, I did give him my home address because he wanted to send me flowers, which he did and his note was so sweet.

Like I said , just too good to be true. So now I have to delete all these things from my cell phone and computer but at least I didn't send him any money. I almost called the FBI but was told they are aware of this scam and so is the Nigerian government. So if anyone else has been writing to a guy call smith_mike50@yahoo.com just know he's a real fake. He actually called my cell phone and his accent was anything but English - more like a Nigerian or other African accent and I could barely understand him. I have copies of all of his e-mails to me just in case I needed them. My son has helped me by going online and finding out more about these scams and I will make sure "Mike Smith" never contacts me again. It's just a shame they prey on hardworking, honest women looking for some nice man to spend time with and somewhere down the road, maybe marry!!

One smart lady who didn't get scammed

Sometimes you can outscam the scammers, if you know what to look for, like this sharp lady did. Good thing she was so on her toes!

This past July 12th, I received the most beautiful e-mail on the dating site SeniorPeopleMeet from a man calling himself Thomas Park. He said that I was an angel on earth and if I didn't reply to his "humble" e-mail that he would understand. Why should I respond to someone such as he. . . His picture was gorgeous--dark hair with piercing blue eyes and an oh so sexy smile. He asked me to e-mail him at Thomas Park212@yahoo.com.

We e-mailed back and forth for about four or five days. His language was over the top romantic baloney. I was a little bit suspicious but a couple of my friends who had dated Latin men (he claims to have been raised by an aunt in Madrid) said this is the way they express themselves.

This is his story--in case any of you out there fall prey to this man:
Thomas Park was born in Texas and at the age of four his parents died in a fatal car crash. He was raised with his cousins by an aunt and uncle in Madrid. He holds a master's degree in business technology from Oxford.
He moved to the United States twenty-two years ago because his wife was American. She died in childbirth eight years ago, along with the child.

Thomas said he worked for the Huron Consulting Group in Chicago IL as an information technology consultant. He says has no friends--just co-workers. They operate in different worlds (yeah right!) So he spends holidays in Paris or Hawaii or he travels to Madrid quite frequently to visit his aunt.
His best friend is God and he said our relationship would progress in God's timing. He has no trouble finding women but he wants a woman of quality and said that I was his choice.

I finally asked him to phone me as I the number he gave me always went to voice mail. He did call but we spoke only briefly as the phone was constantly "breaking up." His heavy accent gave him away--he is NO Oxford man!! I could barely understand his broken English. Well, his e-mails intensified after that call (as mine pulled back and cooled down) and I became alarmed so I contacted my local police. They advised me to break it off (nicely) with this guy and I tried to do so. I didn't like hearing "we will be together forever" after one week of e-mailing!!

Well, after he asked me for money, I told him the jig was up and he replied by calling me a player and a liar. I haven't heard from him since. Let's hope it stays that way!

Typical Nigerian Scammer email

Here is one email after 24 hours of initial contact. These scammers need to move fast, because time is money (your money) so they come on strong QUICK. Here is an actual email from a nigerian scammer

Hello Linda....

Let me start by saying that I thank God every night since I found you. You came into my life when everything seemed so dark but you provided the light to find my way. I've never been so certain of anything in my life like I am of us. You have totally changed my outlook in life and I thank you for that.. I never thought that someone could love me like you do, but guess what? I love you that much too. I feel as if I'm walking over clouds just thinking about you. You make my life complete. I know you've said we could do foolish things while in love, but you know what? With you I wouldn't mind being a fool for the rest of my life. I love you so much and I know you love me too. I know that others looking into our relationship might think that we're saying too many foolish things too soon but they just don't know how we feel about each other. There's nothing foolish about the things I've told you, I meant every word I said. I love you and for you and you are mine. I would do anything, I love you both so much. Today I promise you that I would do anything in my power to make you a great person, outstanding father and loving husband. I LOVE YOU!!....And I mean This is My first time to come online and date and you are the first woman i will meet since my wife has die

Thanks

James

The scammers "List" : Are YOU on it?

The "List" : are YOU on it?
It's bad enough that people have found themselves victims of sweetheart scams (scams where the con artist pretends to be in persuit of a relationship when it is only a way to get your money) but to make matters worse, they then find themselves on "The List". What is the list, and who is on it? Once you have sent ANY of these con artists money, instead of them running away laughing counting their money, the victim goes on "The List". The list contains the names, phone numbers, and dating accounts, myspace profiles etc. of people who have sent money to these scammers so that they CAN DO IT AGAIN!!! You would think they would believe that once a person has been scammed they would be harder to scam in the future, but these scammers have proven that theory WRONG. Believe it or not, people that have been scammed for money this way are very likely to send money again for another scam, ESPECIALLY when now they are SPECIFICALLY being targeted!!! My next post will be from a woman who was already a victim, who now has been scammed with another method from another one of these creeps. We should be outraged that this is happening, and something SHOULD be done about it, but unfortunately since the nigerian government does NOTHING to stop these people, there is no jail for them to go to, and no justice for the victims. This is NOT a victimless crime!

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Scammer on Match.com

another nigerian scammer story

I am a mid forties woman living in Melbourne and have been on Match.com searching for a partner. I am a single Mum with a small child and a 21 y.o. Autistic boy.
In early February 2009 a man by the name of Tyon Gates (tyon_gates2000@yahoo.com sent me an email telling me how beautiful I was and that he wanted to get to know me . ..that he could not believe he had met such an angel as me. ..
I was hooked into his charm. He soon removed his profile from the dating site and we were chatting frequently on yahoo messenger (which he helped me set up!) I soon gave him my number and he began ringing me frequently calling me “Sweetie,Honey” etc. He told me that he soon was telling me that he wanted me off the MATCH web site.
When we spoke he was very difficult to understand but I fobbed it off as he told me his Dad was American Indian and his Mum Italian. Tyon claimed to come from Texas but was currently in London on business. He was an importer of antiques allegedly!
HE then told me that he had to go to Nigeria to buy antiques and would call me when he got there.
He gave me his direct number to his room in Lagos and we spoke regularly, but mostly chatted on Yahoo messenger.
He told me he had been out shopping for antiques and sent me the invoice with my name on the top with him “Mr and Mrs Tyon and Sandra Gates”. Telling me that I will be a part of his life and that he wants to spoil me – take care of me and that he will be very wealthy once he sells his wares back in the US. Tyons spelling was poor and I tested him with some basic Italian phrases which he failed. (His mother apparently is Italian living in Italy)
Tyon kept telling me how great our life would be together and how much he would love and take care of me. Tyon’s accent I could not distinguish – it did not sound Nigerian at all!)
Then one evening while we were chatting he told me that he had just got the=2 0tax certificate from the Nigerian government and the tax on his goods was much more than he anticipated. He asked me to help him by sending him money. I told him I did not have it to send but he insisted and kept at me and got quite agitated at times that I would not help him when he needed me most! He kept assuring me that he would pay me back and that he was going to make me very happy! He asked me my ring size and said that he had bought me a ring.
I relented and sent him AUD$1400.00. .. HE was so grateful and kept telling me how much he loved me. He sent me flowers and chocolates..
He assured me that he would not ask me for anymore money but then his friend was talking to me and asked me to help him with more money so Tyon could leave and come to me. I was very angry and wrote Tyon an angry email..
Somehow he seemed to bring me round with his charm and also was very manipulative in his convincing me that he just needs a bit more money. I sent a subsequent AUD$700.00 dollars to him. And he again was so loving and grateful. He sent me his itinerary of his intent to travel to Australia to meet me. Then later asked me to help him with a little more money.. I kept telling him I did not have it and could not meet my rent payments or buy food. HE told me I was lying about that!
Through his pleading and demands I sent another AUD$650.00. HE assured me that this would the last and that he could not wait to see me!
He told me that he was checking out of the hotel on the Tuesday morning and scheduled to fly out of Lagos that evening. The last time he called me he said he was at the bank picking up the last money I sent and that he loved me very much! He asked me what I was going to cook for him. He would always ask me how “our” boys were.
On the Wednesday evening I received a phone call from someone with an accent telling me that Tyon had been in an accident on the way to the airport. They asked me if I was his wife. They spoke a little about the accident and said he was in a coma. I asked them for information about what hospital he was in. They then rang me back about half an hour later and told me they needed $50,000 in Nigerian currency before they could operate. This alleged doctor said he would give me his office number but I insisted on knowing what hospital Tyon was in. They hung up (bad line!) then called back again. I asked again what hospital but they were being very evasive. I told them to ring his family for help. I hung up the phone. They kept trying to ring me so I pulled the phone out of the wall. I was feeling bad as I could not understand what was going on and that if in fact he was in hospital, then I ought to be helping!
I tried ringing hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria but could not get through. I wrote emails to the email address that apparently organised his flights. I looked up the air France website and typed in his booking details and came up with nothing.
I feel very concerned as this man has my address and my phone numbers.

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